Alfven wave dispersion behavior in single- and multicomponent plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rahbarnia, K.; Grulke, O.; Klinger, T.

Dispersion relations of driven Alfven waves (AWs) are measured in single- and multicomponent plasmas consisting of mixtures of argon, helium, and oxygen in a magnetized linear cylindrical plasma device VINETA [C. Franck, O. Grulke, and T. Klinger, Phys. Plasmas 9, 3254 (2002)]. The decomposition of the measured three-dimensional magnetic field fluctuations and the corresponding parallel current pattern reveals that the wave field is a superposition of L- and R-wave components. The dispersion relation measurements agree well with calculations based on a multifluid Hall-magnetohydrodynamic model if the plasma resistivity is correctly taken into account.

Comparative study of the expansion dynamics of laser-driven plasma and shock wave in in-air and underwater ablation regimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Thao T. P.; Tanabe, Rie; Ito, Yoshiro

2018-03-01

We compared the expansion characteristics of the plasma plumes and shock waves generated in laser-induced shock process between the two ablation regimes: in air and under water. The observation was made from the initial moment when the laser pulse hit the target until 1.5 μs. The shock processes were driven by focusing a single laser pulse (1064 nm, FWHM = 13 ns) onto the surface of epoxy-resin blocks using a 40-mm focal length lens. The estimated laser intensity at the target plane is approximate to 9 ×109Wcm-2 . We used the fast-imaging technique to observe the expansion of the plasma plume and a custom-designed time-resolved photoelasticity imaging technique to observe the propagation of shock waves with the time resolution of nanoseconds. We found that at the same intensity of the laser beam, the plasma expansion during the laser pulse follows different mechanisms: the plasma plume that grows in air follows a radiation-wave model while a detonation-wave model can explain the expansion of the plasma plume induced in water. The ideal blast wave theory can be used to predict the decay of the shock wave in air but is not appropriate to describe the decay of the shock wave induced under water.

Drift wave turbulence simulations in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popovich, P.; Umansky, M.; Carter, T. A.; Auerbach, D. W.; Friedman, B.; Schaffner, D.; Vincena, S.

2009-11-01

We present numerical simulations of turbulence in LAPD plasmas using the 3D electromagnetic code BOUT (BOUndary Turbulence). BOUT solves a system of fluid moment equations in a general toroidal equlibrium geometry near the plasma boundary. The underlying assumptions for the validity of the fluid model are well satisfied for drift waves in LAPD plasmas (typical plasma parameters ne˜1x10^12cm-3, Te˜10eV, and B ˜1kG), which makes BOUT a perfect tool for simulating LAPD. We have adapted BOUT for the cylindrical geometry of LAPD and have extended the model to include the background flows required for simulations of recent bias-driven rotation experiments. We have successfully verified the code for several linear instabilities, including resistive drift waves, Kelvin-Helmholtz and rotation-driven interchange. We will discuss first non-linear simulations and quasi-stationary solutions with self-consistent plasma flows and saturated density profiles.

Waves and instabilities in high β, warm ion plasmas in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, T. A.; Dorfman, S. E.; Rossi, G.; Guice, D.

2014-12-01

The LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) has been upgraded with a second LaB6 cathode plasma source that permits the creation of higher density (~ 3×1013 cm-3), higher temperature (Te ~ 12eV), warm ion (Ti ~ 6eV) plasmas. Along with lowered magnetic field, significant increases in plasma β can be achieved with this new source (e.g. at B=100G, β~1). These new plasma conditions permit a range of new experimental opportunities on LAPD including: linear and nonlinear studies of Alfvén waves in warm ion, high β plasmas; pressure-gradient driven instabilities in increased β plasmas and electromagnetic modifications to turbulence and transport; instabilities driven by ion temperature anisotropies (e.g. firehose and mirror instabilities). The characteristics of the new plasma will be presented along with a discussion of these new research areas.

Waves and instabilities in high β, warm ion plasmas in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy; Dorfman, Seth; Rossi, Giovanni; Guice, Daniel; Gekelman, Walter; Klein, Kris; Howes, Greg

2014-10-01

The LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) has been upgraded with a second LaB6 cathode plasma source that permits the creation of higher density (~ 3 ×1013 cm-3), higher temperature (Te ~ 12 eV), warm ion (Ti ~ 6 eV) plasmas. Along with lowered magnetic field, significant increases in plasma β can be achieved with this new source (e.g. at B = 100 G , β ~ 1). These new plasma conditions permit a range of new experimental opportunities on LAPD including: linear and nonlinear studies of Alfvén waves in warm ion, high β plasmas; pressure-gradient driven instabilities in increased β plasmas and electromagnetic modifications to turbulence and transport; instabilities driven by ion temperature anisotropies (e.g. firehose and mirror instabilities). The characteristics of the new plasma will be presented along with a discussion of these new research areas.

Generation of quasi-monoenergetic heavy ion beams via staged shock wave acceleration driven by intense laser pulses in near-critical plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, W. L.; Qiao, B.; Shen, X. F.; You, W. Y.; Huang, T. W.; Yan, X. Q.; Wu, S. Z.; Zhou, C. T.; He, X. T.

2016-09-01

Laser-driven ion acceleration potentially offers a compact, cost-effective alternative to conventional accelerators for scientific, technological, and health-care applications. A novel scheme for heavy ion acceleration in near-critical plasmas via staged shock waves driven by intense laser pulses is proposed, where, in front of the heavy ion target, a light ion layer is used for launching a high-speed electrostatic shock wave. This shock is enhanced at the interface before it is transmitted into the heavy ion plasmas. Monoenergetic heavy ion beam with much higher energy can be generated by the transmitted shock, comparing to the shock wave acceleration in pure heavy ion target. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that quasi-monoenergetic {{{C}}}6+ ion beams with peak energy 168 MeV and considerable particle number 2.1 × {10}11 are obtained by laser pulses at intensity of 1.66 × {10}20 {{W}} {{cm}}-2 in such staged shock wave acceleration scheme. Similarly a high-quality {{Al}}10+ ion beam with a well-defined peak with energy 250 MeV and spread δ E/{E}0=30 % can also be obtained in this scheme.

Nonlinear response and bistability of driven ion acoustic waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akbari-Moghanjoughi, M.

2017-08-01

The hydrodynamic model is used to obtain a generalized pseudoforce equation through which the nonlinear response of periodically driven ion acoustic waves is studied in an electron-ion plasma with isothermal and adiabatic ion fluids. The pseudotime series, corresponding to different driving frequencies, indicates that nonlinearity effects appear more strongly for smaller frequency values. The existence of extra harmonic resonances in the nonlinear amplitude spectrum is a clear indication of the interaction of an external force with harmonic components of the nonlinear ion acoustic waves. It is shown that many plasma parameters significantly and differently affect the nonlinear resonance spectrum of ion acoustic excitations. A heuristic but accurate model for the foldover effect is used which quite satisfactorily predicts the bistability of driven plasma oscillations. It is remarked that the characteristic resonance peak of isothermal ion plasma oscillations appears at lower frequencies but is stronger compared to that of adiabatic ions. Comparison of the exact numerical results for fully nonlinear and approximate (weakly nonlinear) models indicates that a weakly nonlinear model exaggerates the hysteresis and jump phenomenon for higher values of the external force amplitude.

Stable and unstable roots of ion temperature gradient driven mode using curvature modified plasma dispersion functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gültekin, Ö.; Gürcan, Ö. D.

2018-02-01

Basic, local kinetic theory of ion temperature gradient driven (ITG) mode, with adiabatic electrons is reconsidered. Standard unstable, purely oscillating as well as damped solutions of the local dispersion relation are obtained using a bracketing technique that uses the argument principle. This method requires computing the plasma dielectric function and its derivatives, which are implemented here using modified plasma dispersion functions with curvature and their derivatives, and allows bracketing/following the zeros of the plasma dielectric function which corresponds to different roots of the ITG dispersion relation. We provide an open source implementation of the derivatives of modified plasma dispersion functions with curvature, which are used in this formulation. Studying the local ITG dispersion, we find that near the threshold of instability the unstable branch is rather asymmetric with oscillating solutions towards lower wave numbers (i.e. drift waves), and damped solutions toward higher wave numbers. This suggests a process akin to inverse cascade by coupling to the oscillating branch towards lower wave numbers may play a role in the nonlinear evolution of the ITG, near the instability threshold. Also, using the algorithm, the linear wave diffusion is estimated for the marginally stable ITG mode.

Langmuir Probe Analysis of Maser-Driven Alfven Waves Using New LaB6 Cathode in LaPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Mary; Dorfman, Seth; Zhu, Ziyan; Rossi, Giovanni; Carter, Troy

2015-11-01

Previous research in the Large Plasma Device shows that specific conditions on the magnetic field and cathode discharge voltage allow an Alfven wave to develop in the cathode-anode region. When the speed of bulk electrons (dependent on discharge voltage) entering the region exceeds the Alfven speed, the electrons can excite a wave. This phenomenon mimics one proposed to exist in the Earth's ionosphere. Previous experiments used a cathode coated with Barium Oxide, and this project uses a new cathode coated with Lanthanum Hexaboride (LaB6). The experiment seeks to characterize the behavior of plasmas generated with the LaB6 source, as well as understand properties of the driven wave when using the new cathode. Langmuir probes are used to find electron temperature, ion saturation current, and plasma density. These parameters determine characteristics of the wave. Preliminary analysis implies that density increases with LaB6 discharge voltage until 170 V, where it levels off. A linear increase in density is expected; the plateau implies cathode power does not ionize the plasma after 170 V. It is possible the power is carried out by the generated Alfven wave, or heats the plasma or cathode. This ``missing'' power is currently under investigation. Work funded by DOE and NSF.

Controllable robust laser driven ion acceleration from near-critical density relativistic self-transparent plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bin; Meyer-Ter-Vehn, Juergen; Ruhl, Hartmut

2017-10-01

We introduce an alternative approach for laser driven self-injected high quality ion acceleration. We call it ion wave breaking acceleration. It operates in relativistic self-transparent plasma for ultra-intense ultra-short laser pulses. Laser propagating in a transparent plasma excites an electron wave as well as an ion wave. When the ion wave breaks, a fraction of ions is self-injected into the positive part of the laser driven wake. This leads to a superior ion pulse with peaked energy spectra; in particular in realistic three-dimensional geometry, the injection occurs localized close to the laser axis producing highly directed bunches. A theory is developed to investigate the ion wave breaking dynamics. Three dimensional Particle-in-Cell simulations with pure-gaussian laser pulses and pre-expanded near-critical density plasma targets have been done to verify the theoretical results. It is shown that hundreds of MeV, easily controllable and manipulable, micron-scale size, highly collimated and quasi-mono-energetic ion beams can be produced by using ultra-intense ultra-short laser pulses with total laser energies less than 10 Joules. Such ion beams may find important applications in tumour therapy. B. Liu acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. B. Liu and H. Ruhl acknowledge supports from the Gauss Centre for Supercomputing (GCS), and the Cluster-of-Excellence Munich Centre for Advanced Photonics (MAP).

The effect of beam-driven return current instability on solar hard X-ray bursts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cromwell, D.; Mcquillan, P.; Brown, J. C.

1986-01-01

The problem of electrostatic wave generation by a return current driven by a small area electron beam during solar hard X-ray bursts is discussed. The marginal stability method is used to solve numerically the electron and ion heating equations for a prescribed beam current evolution. When ion-acoustic waves are considered, the method appears satisfactory and, following an initial phase of Coulomb resistivity in which T sub e/T sub i rise, predicts a rapid heating of substantial plasma volumes by anomalous ohmic dissipation. This hot plasma emits so much thermal bremsstrahlung that, contrary to previous expectations, the unstable beam-plasma system actually emits more hard X-rays than does the beam in the purely collisional thick target regime relevant to larger injection areas. Inclusion of ion-cyclotron waves results in ion-acoustic wave onset at lower T sub e/T sub i and a marginal stability treatment yields unphysical results.

Diffusion in plasma: The Hall effect, compositional waves, and chemical spots

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Urpin, V., E-mail: Vadim.urpin@uv.es

2017-03-15

Diffusion caused by a combined influence of the electric current and Hall effect is considered, and it is argued that such diffusion can form inhomogeneities of a chemical composition in plasma. The considered mechanism can be responsible for the formation of element spots in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. This current-driven diffusion can be accompanied by propagation of a particular type of waves in which the impurity number density oscillates alone. These compositional waves exist if the magnetic pressure in plasma is much greater than the gas pressure.

Ion temperature gradient mode driven solitons and shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakir, U.; Adnan, Muhammad; Haque, Q.; Qamar, Anisa; Mirza, Arshad M.

2016-04-01

Ion temperature gradient (ITG) driven solitons and shocks are studied in a plasma having gradients in the equilibrium number density and equilibrium ion temperature. In the linear regime, it is found that the ion temperature and the ratio of the gradient scale lengths, ηi=Ln/LT , affect both the real frequency and the growth rate of the ITG driven wave instability. In the nonlinear regime, for the first time we derive a Korteweg de Vries-type equation for the ITG mode, which admits solitary wave solution. It is found that the ITG mode supports only compressive solitons. Further, it is noticed that the soliton amplitude and width are sensitive to the parameter ηi=Ln/LT . Second, in the presence of dissipation in the system, we obtain a Burger type equation, which admits the shock wave solution. This work may be useful to understand the low frequency electrostatic modes in inhomogeneous electron-ion plasma having density and ion temperature gradients. For illustration, the model has been applied to tokamak plasma.

Direct observation of the two-plasmon-decay common plasma wave using ultraviolet Thomson scattering.

PubMed

Follett, R K; Edgell, D H; Henchen, R J; Hu, S X; Katz, J; Michel, D T; Myatt, J F; Shaw, J; Froula, D H

2015-03-01

A 263-nm Thomson-scattering beam was used to directly probe two-plasmon-decay (TPD) excited electron plasma waves (EPWs) driven by between two and five 351-nm beams on the OMEGA Laser System. The amplitude of these waves was nearly independent of the number of drive beams at constant overlapped intensity, showing that the observed EPWs are common to the multiple beams. In an experimental configuration where the Thomson-scattering diagnostic was not wave matched to the common TPD EPWs, a broad spectrum of TPD-driven EPWs was observed, indicative of nonlinear effects associated with TPD saturation. Electron plasma waves corresponding to Langmuir decay of TPD EPWs were observed in both Thomson-scattering spectra, suggesting the Langmuir decay instability as a TPD saturation mechanism. Simulated Thomson-scattering spectra from three-dimensional numerical solutions of the extended Zakharov equations of TPD are in excellent agreement with the experimental spectra and verify the presence of the Langmuir decay instability.

Direct observation of the two-plasmon-decay common plasma wave using ultraviolet Thomson scattering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Follett, R. K.; Edgell, D. H.; Henchen, R. J.

2015-03-26

A 263-nm Thomson-scattering beam was used to directly probe two-plasmon-decay (TPD) excited electron plasma waves (EPWs) driven by between two and five 351-nm beams on the OMEGA Laser System. The amplitude of these waves was nearly independent of the number of drive beams at constant overlapped intensity, showing that the observed EPWs are common to the multiple beams. In an experimental configuration where the Thomson-scattering diagnostic was not wave matched to the common TPD EPWs, a broad spectrum of TPD-driven EPWs was observed, indicative of nonlinear effects associated with TPD saturation. Electron plasma waves corresponding to Langmuir decay of TPDmore » EPWs were observed in both Thomson-scattering spectra, suggesting the Langmuir decay instability as a TPD saturation mechanism. Simulated Thomson-scattering spectra from three-dimensional numerical solutions of the extended Zakharov equations of TPD are in excellent agreement with the experimental spectra and verify the presence of the Langmuir decay instability.« less

Study of plasma environments for the integrated Space Station electromagnetic analysis system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Nagendra

1992-01-01

The final report includes an analysis of various plasma effects on the electromagnetic environment of the Space Station Freedom. Effects of arcing are presented. Concerns of control of arcing by a plasma contactor are highlighted. Generation of waves by contaminant ions are studied and amplitude levels of the waves are estimated. Generation of electromagnetic waves by currents in the structure of the space station, driven by motional EMF, is analyzed and the radiation level is estimated.

Generation of waves in the Venus mantle by the ion acoustic beam instability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huba, J. D.

1993-01-01

The ion acoustic beam instability is suggested as a mechanism to produce wave turbulence observed in the Venus mantle at frequencies 100 Hz and 730 Hz. The plasma is assumed to consist of a stationary cold O(+) ion plasma and a flowing, shocked solar wind plasma. The O(+) ions appear as a beam relative to the flowing ionosheath plasma which provides the free energy to drive the instability. The plasma is driven unstable by inverse electron Landau damping of an ion acoustic wave associated with the cold ionospheric O(+) ions. The instability can directly generate the observed 100 Hz waves in the Venus mantle as well as the observed 730 Hz waves through the Doppler shift of the frequency caused by the satellite motion.

Quasi-monoenergetic ion beam acceleration by laser-driven shock and solitary waves in near-critical plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, W. L.; Qiao, B., E-mail: bqiao@pku.edu.cn; Huang, T. W.

2016-07-15

Ion acceleration in near-critical plasmas driven by intense laser pulses is investigated theoretically and numerically. A theoretical model has been given for clarification of the ion acceleration dynamics in relation to different laser and target parameters. Two distinct regimes have been identified, where ions are accelerated by, respectively, the laser-induced shock wave in the weakly driven regime (comparatively low laser intensity) and the nonlinear solitary wave in the strongly driven regime (comparatively high laser intensity). Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations show that quasi-monoenergetic proton beams with a peak energy of 94.6 MeV and an energy spread 15.8% are obtained by intense laser pulsesmore » at intensity I{sub 0} = 3 × 10{sup 20 }W/cm{sup 2} and pulse duration τ = 0.5 ps in the strongly driven regime, which is more advantageous than that got in the weakly driven regime. In addition, 233 MeV proton beams with narrow spread can be produced by extending τ to 1.0 ps in the strongly driven regime.« less

First direct observation of runaway electron-driven whistler waves in tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spong, Donald A.

2017-10-01

Whistlers are electromagnetic waves that can be driven unstable by energetic electrons and are observed in natural plasmas, such as the ionosphere and Van Allen belts. Recent DIII-D experiments at low density demonstrate the first direct observation of whistlers in tokamaks, with 100-200 MHz waves excited by runaway electrons (REs) in the multi-MeV range. Whistler activity is correlated with RE intensity and the frequencies scale with magnetic field strength and electron density consistent with a whistler dispersion relation. Fluctuations occur in discrete frequency bands, and not a continuum as would be expected from plane wave analysis, suggesting the important role of toroidicity. An MHD model including the bounded/periodic nature of the plasma identifies multiple eigenmode branches. For a toroidal mode number n = 10, the predicted frequencies and spacing are similar to observations. The instabilities are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, as expected from the anomalous Doppler resonance. The whistler amplitudes show intermittent time variations. Predator-prey cycles with electron cyclotron emission (ECE) signals are observed, which can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy REs. Such nonlinear dynamics are supported by quasi-linear simulations indicating that REs are scattered both by whistlers and high frequency magnetized plasma waves. The whistler wave predominantly scatters the high energy REs, while the magnetized plasma wave scatters the low energy REs, abruptly enhancing the ECE signal. Amplitude variations are also associated with sawtooth activity, indicating that the REs sample the q = 1 surface. These features of the RE-driven whistler have connections to ionospheric plasmas and open up new directions for the modeling and active control of tokamak REs. Work supported by the US DOE under DE-FC02-04ER54698, DE-AC52-07NA27344, DE-FG02-07ER54917, DE-SC00-16268, and DE-AC05-00OR22725.

Direct evidence for EMIC wave scattering of relativistic electrons in space: EMIC-Driven Electron Losses in Space

DOE PAGES

Zhang, X. -J.; Li, W.; Ma, Q.; ...

2016-07-01

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves have been proposed to cause efficient losses of highly relativistic (>1 MeV) electrons via gyroresonant interactions. Simultaneous observations of EMIC waves and equatorial electron pitch angle distributions, which can be used to directly quantify the EMIC wave scattering effect, are still very limited, however. In the present study, we evaluate the effect of EMIC waves on pitch angle scattering of ultrarelativistic (>1 MeV) electrons during the main phase of a geomagnetic storm, when intense EMIC wave activity was observed in situ (in the plasma plume region with high plasma density) on both Van Allen Probes.more » EMIC waves captured by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) probes and on the ground across the Canadian Array for Real-time Investigations of Magnetic Activity (CARISMA) are also used to infer their magnetic local time (MLT) coverage. From the observed EMIC wave spectra and local plasma parameters, we compute wave diffusion rates and model the evolution of electron pitch angle distributions. In conclusion, by comparing model results with local observations of pitch angle distributions, we show direct, quantitative evidence of EMIC wave-driven relativistic electron losses in the Earth’s outer radiation belt.« less

Observation of Poincaré-Andronov-Hopf Bifurcation in Cyclotron Maser Emission from a Magnetic Plasma Trap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shalashov, A. G.; Gospodchikov, E. D.; Izotov, I. V.; Mansfeld, D. A.; Skalyga, V. A.; Tarvainen, O.

2018-04-01

We report the first experimental evidence of a controlled transition from the generation of periodic bursts of electromagnetic radiation into the continuous-wave regime of a cyclotron maser formed in magnetically confined nonequilibrium plasma. The kinetic cyclotron instability of the extraordinary wave of weakly inhomogeneous magnetized plasma is driven by the anisotropic electron population resulting from electron cyclotron plasma heating in a MHD-stable minimum-B open magnetic trap.

Electrostatic waves driven by electron beam in lunar wake plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sreeraj, T.; Singh, S. V.; Lakhina, G. S.

2018-05-01

A linear analysis of electrostatic waves propagating parallel to the ambient field in a four component homogeneous, collisionless, magnetised plasma comprising fluid protons, fluid He++, electron beam, and suprathermal electrons following kappa distribution is presented. In the absence of electron beam streaming, numerical analysis of the dispersion relation shows six modes: two electron acoustic modes (modes 1 and 6), two fast ion acoustic modes (modes 2 and 5), and two slow ion acoustic modes (modes 3 and 4). The modes 1, 2 and 3 and modes 4, 5, and 6 have positive and negative phase speeds, respectively. With an increase in electron beam speed, the mode 6 gets affected the most and the phase speed turns positive from negative. The mode 6 thus starts to merge with modes 2 and 3 and generates the electron beam driven fast and slow ion acoustic waves unstable with a finite growth. The electron beam driven slow ion-acoustic waves occur at lower wavenumbers, whereas fast ion-acoustic waves occur at a large value of wavenumbers. The effect of various other parameters has also been studied. We have applied this analysis to the electrostatic waves observed in lunar wake during the first flyby of the ARTEMIS mission. The analysis shows that the low (high) frequency waves observed in the lunar wake could be the electron beam driven slow (fast) ion-acoustic modes.

Nonlinear structure formation in ion-temperature-gradient driven drift waves in pair-ion plasma with nonthermal electron distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razzaq, Javaria; Haque, Q.; Khan, Majid; Bhatti, Adnan Mehmood; Kamran, M.; Mirza, Arshad M.

2018-02-01

Nonlinear structure formation in ion-temperature-gradient (ITG) driven waves is investigated in pair-ion plasma comprising ions and nonthermal electrons (kappa, Cairns). By using the transport equations of the Braginskii model, a new set of nonlinear equations are derived. A linear dispersion relation is obtained and discussed analytically as well as numerically. It is shown that the nonthermal population of electrons affects both the linear and nonlinear characteristics of the ITG mode in pair-ion plasma. This work will be useful in tokamaks and stellarators where non-Maxwellian population of electrons may exist due to resonant frequency heating, electron cyclotron heating, runaway electrons, etc.

Magnetic Field Effects and Electromagnetic Wave Propagation in Highly Collisional Plasmas.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozeman, Steven Paul

The homogeneity and size of radio frequency (RF) and microwave driven plasmas are often limited by insufficient penetration of the electromagnetic radiation. To investigate increasing the skin depth of the radiation, we consider the propagation of electromagnetic waves in a weakly ionized plasma immersed in a steady magnetic field where the dominant collision processes are electron-neutral and ion-neutral collisions. Retaining both the electron and ion dynamics, we have adapted the theory for cold collisionless plasmas to include the effects of these collisions and obtained the dispersion relation at arbitrary frequency omega for plane waves propagating at arbitrary angles with respect to the magnetic field. We discuss in particular the cases of magnetic field enhanced wave penetration for parallel and perpendicular propagation, examining the experimental parameters which lead to electromagnetic wave propagation beyond the collisional skin depth. Our theory predicts that the most favorable scaling of skin depth with magnetic field occurs for waves propagating nearly parallel to B and for omega << Omega_{rm e} where Omega_{rm e} is the electron cyclotron frequency. The scaling is less favorable for propagation perpendicular to B, but the skin depth does increase for this case as well. Still, to achieve optimal wave penetration, we find that one must design the plasma configuration and antenna geometry so that one generates primarily the appropriate angles of propagation. We have measured plasma wave amplitudes and phases using an RF magnetic probe and densities using Stark line broadening. These measurements were performed in inductively coupled plasmas (ICP's) driven with a standard helical coil, a reverse turn (Stix) coil, and a flat spiral coil. Density measurements were also made in a microwave generated plasma. The RF magnetic probe measurements of wave propagation in a conventional ICP with wave propagation approximately perpendicular to B show an increase in skin depth with magnetic field and a damping of the effect of B with pressure. The flat coil geometry which launches waves more nearly parallel to B allows enhanced wave penetration at higher pressures than the standard helical coil.

Parametric decay of current-driven Langmuir waves in plateau plasmas: Relevance to solar wind and foreshock events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauer, Konrad; Malaspina, David M.; Pulupa, Marc; Salem, Chadi S.

2017-07-01

Langmuir amplitude modulation in association with type III radio bursts is a well-known phenomenon since the beginning of space observations. It is commonly attributed to the superposition of beam-excited Langmuir waves and their backscattered counterparts as a result of parametric decay. The dilemma, however, is the discrepancy between fast beam relaxation and long-lasting Langmuir wave activity. Instead of starting with an unstable electron beam, our focus in this paper is on the nonlinear response of Langmuir oscillations that are driven after beam stabilization by the still persisting current of the (stable) two-electron plasma. The velocity distribution function of the second population forms a plateau (index h) with a point at which ∂fh/∂v ˜0 associated with weak damping over a more or less extended wave number range k. As shown by particle-in-cell simulations, this so-called plateau plasma drives primarily Langmuir oscillations at the plasma frequency (ωe) with k = 0 over long times without remarkable change of the distribution function. These Langmuir oscillations act as a pump wave for parametric decay by which an electron-acoustic wave slightly below ωe and a counterstreaming ion-acoustic wave are generated. Both high-frequency waves have nearly the same amplitude, which is given by the product of plateau density and velocity. Beating of these two wave types leads to pronounced Langmuir amplitude modulation, in reasonable agreement with solar wind and terrestrial foreshock observations made by the Wind spacecraft.

Experiments on Alfv'en waves in high beta plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gekelman, Walter; Pribyl, Patrick; Cooper, Chris; Vincena, Stephen

2008-11-01

The propagation of Alfv'en waves in high beta plasmas is of great interest in solar wind studies as well as in astrophysical plasmas. Alfv'en wave propagation in a high beta plasma is studied on the axis of a toroidal device at UCLA. The vacuum vessel is 30 meters in circumference, 2 meters wide and 3 meters tall. The plasma has a cross sectional area of 20 cm^2 and can be as long as 120 m which is hundreds of parallel Alfv'en wavelengths. The waves are launched using two orthogonal 5-turn , 5.7 cm diameter loops. The AC currents (10 kHz < f < 250 kHz) to the loops are as high as 2 kA p-p, producing fields of 1 kG on the axis of the antenna. The antenna coils are independently driven such that waves with arbitrary polarization can be launched. Movable three axis magnetic pickup loops detect the wave and are used to construct field maps in the machine. Wave propagation results as a function of plasma beta and input wave energy will be presented.

Kinetic theory and Vlasov simulation of nonlinear ion-acoustic waves in multi-ion species plasmas.

PubMed

Chapman, T; Berger, R L; Brunner, S; Williams, E A

2013-05-10

The theory of damping and nonlinear frequency shifts from particles resonant with ion-acoustic waves (IAWs) is presented for multi-ion species plasma and compared to driven wave Vlasov simulations. Two distinct IAW modes may be supported in multi-ion species plasmas, broadly classified as fast and slow by their phase velocity relative to the constituent ion thermal velocities. In current fusion-relevant long pulse experiments, the ion to electron temperature ratio, T(i)/T(e), is expected to reach a level such that the least damped and thus more readily driven mode is the slow mode, with both linear and nonlinear properties that are shown to differ significantly from the fast mode. The lighter ion species of the slow mode is found to make no significant contribution to the IAW frequency shift despite typically being the dominant contributor to the Landau damping.

Interaction physics for the stimulated Brillouin scattering of a laser in laser driven fusion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yadav, Pinki; Gupta, D.N.; Avinash, K., E-mail: dngupta@physics.du.ac.in

2014-07-01

Energy exchange between pump wave and ion-acoustic wave during the stimulated Brillouin Scattering process in relativistic laser-plasma interactions is studied, including the effect of damping coefficient of electron-ion collision by obeying the energy and momentum conservations. The variations of plasma density and damping coefficient of electron-ion collision change the amplitudes of the interacting wave. The relativistic mass effect modifies the dispersion relations of the interacting waves and consequently, the energy exchange during the stimulated Brillouin Scattering is affected. The collisional damping of electron-ion collision in the plasma is shown to have an important effect on the evolution of the interactingmore » waves. (author)« less

Signatures of Beam - and Anisotropy Driven Oscillitons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauer, K.; Dubinin, E.; McKenzie, J. F.

Oscillitons represent a new class of stationary nonlinear waves, first found in bi-ion plasmas (Sauer et al., 1991) where mode splitting of the `individual' wave modes leads to conditions for phase- and group-standing waves near the `crossing points'. The corresponding structures have signatures of the usual solitons, superimposed by spatial oscillations. Oscillitons may also occur in single-ion plasmas, e.g. in the elec- tron whistler branch. The characteristic features of different types of oscillitons under realistic conditions in space plasmas including damping, beams and anisotropies are analyzed. Relevant mechanisms of coherent waves observed in different frequency ranges (Lion Roars at Earth, ion cyclotron waves near Io and Mars) are discussed.

Strong Evidence for Stochastic Growth of Langmuir-Like Waves in Earth's Foreshock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cairns, Iver H.; Robinson, P. A.

1999-01-01

Bursty Langmuir-like waves driven by electron beams in Earth's foreshock have properties which are inconsistent with the standard plasma physics paradigm of uniform exponential growth saturated by nonlinear processes. Here it is demonstrated for a specific period that stochastic growth theory (SGT) quantitatively describes these waves throughout a large fraction of the foreshock. The statistical wave properties are inconsistent with nonlinear processes or self-organized criticality being important. SGT's success in explaining the foreshock waves and type III solar bursts suggests that SGT is widely applicable to wave growth in space, astrophysical, and laboratory plasmas.

Coherent generation of the terrestrial kilometric radiation by nonlinear beatings between electrostatic waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roux, A.; Pellat, R.

1978-01-01

The propagation of electrostatic plasma waves in an inhomogeneous and magnetized plasma was studied. These waves, which are driven unstable by auroral beams of electrons, are shown to suffer a further geometrical amplification while they propagate towards resonances. Simultaneously, their group velocities tend to be aligned with the geomagnetic field. It is shown that the electrostatic energy tends to accumulate at, or near omega sub LH and omega sub UH, the local lower and upper hybrid frequencies. Due to this process, large amplitude electrostatic waves with very narrow spectra are observed near these frequencies at any place along the auroral field lines where intense beam driven instability takes place. These intense quasi-monochromatic electrostatic waves are shown to give rise to an intense electromagnetic radiation. Depending upon the ratio omega sub pe/omega sub ce between the electron plasma frequency and the electron gyro-frequency the electromagnetic wave can be radiated in the ordinary mode (at omega sub UH), or in the extraordinary (at 2 omega sub UH). As the ratio omega sub pe/omega sub ce tends to be rather small, it is shown that the most intense radiation should be boserved at 2 omega sub UH in the extraordinary mode.

Nonlinear Alfvén wave propagating in ideal MHD plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Jugao; Chen, Yinhua; Yu, Mingyang

2016-01-01

The behavior of nonlinear Alfvén waves propagating in ideal MHD plasmas is investigated numerically. It is found that in a one-dimensional weakly nonlinear system an Alfvén wave train can excite two longitudinal disturbances, namely an acoustic wave and a ponderomotively driven disturbance, which behave differently for β \\gt 1 and β \\lt 1, where β is the ratio of plasma-to-magnetic pressures. In a strongly nonlinear system, the Alfvén wave train is modulated and can steepen to form shocks, leading to significant dissipation due to appearance of current sheets at magnetic-pressure minima. For periodic boundary condition, we find that the Alfvén wave transfers its energy to the plasma and heats it during the shock formation. In two-dimensional systems, fast magneto-acoustic wave generation due to Alfvén wave phase mixing is considered. It is found that the process depends on the amplitude and frequency of the Alfvén waves, as well as their speed gradients and the pressure of the background plasma.

Experimental observation of ion-cyclotron turbulence in the presence of transverse-velocity shear. Ph.D. Thesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amatucci, W.E.

1994-01-01

This laboratory investigation documents the influence of transverse, localized, dc electric fields (TLE) on the excitation of ion-cyclotron waves driven by magnetic field-aligned current (FAC) in a Q-machine plasma device. A segmented disk electrode, located on axis at the end of the plasma column, is used to independently control TLE and FAC in the plasma (potassium plasma, n approximately equals 10(exp 9) cm(exp {minus}3), rho(i) approximately equals 0.2 cm, T(e) = T(i) approximately equals 0.2 eV). Ion-cyclotron waves have been characterized in both the weak-TLE and large-FAC regime and the strong-TLE and small-FAC regime. The existence of a new categorymore » of oscillation identified as the inhomogeneous energy-density driven (IEDD) instability is verified based on the properties of the waves in the latter regime. In the weak-TLE regime, current-driven electrostatic ion-cyclotron (CDEIC) waves with features in qualitative agreement with previous laboratory results have been observed at sufficiently large FAC. These waves have a frequency spectrum with a single narrow spectral feature located slightly above the ion-cyclotron frequency (omega approximately equals 1.2 Omega(i)). The waves are standing in the radial direction with peak oscillation amplitude located in the center of the FAC channel and are azimuthally symmetric (m = 0). Small magnitude TLE were found to have negligible effect on the characteristics of the waves. In the strong-TLE regime, a decrease in the threshold FAC level is observed. This transition in the instability threshold is accompanied by changes in the frequency spectra, propagation characteristics, and mode amplitude profiles. In the presence of strong-TLE, the ion-cyclotron waves propagate azimuthally in the E x B direction with k(theta) rho(i) = 0.4 and m = 1. The frequency spectrum becomes broadband and spiky, and shifts with the applied TLE strength.« less

Linear and nonlinear dynamics of current-driven waves in dusty plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Ali; Ali Shan, S.; Haque, Q.; Saleem, H.

2012-09-01

The linear and nonlinear dynamics of a recently proposed plasma mode of dusty plasma is studied using kappa distribution for electrons. This electrostatic wave can propagate in the plasma due to the sheared flow of electrons and ions parallel to the external magnetic field in the presence of stationary dust. The coupling of this wave with the usual drift wave and ion acoustic wave is investigated. D'Angelo's mode is also modified in the presence of superthermal electrons. In the nonlinear regime, the wave can give rise to dipolar vortex structures if the shear in flow is weaker and tripolar vortices if the flow has steeper gradient. The results have been applied to Saturn's magnetosphere corresponding to negatively charged dust grains. But the theoretical model is applicable for positively charged dust as well. This work will be useful for future observations and studies of dusty environments of planets and comets.

Current drive at plasma densities required for thermonuclear reactors.

PubMed

Cesario, R; Amicucci, L; Cardinali, A; Castaldo, C; Marinucci, M; Panaccione, L; Santini, F; Tudisco, O; Apicella, M L; Calabrò, G; Cianfarani, C; Frigione, D; Galli, A; Mazzitelli, G; Mazzotta, C; Pericoli, V; Schettini, G; Tuccillo, A A

2010-08-10

Progress in thermonuclear fusion energy research based on deuterium plasmas magnetically confined in toroidal tokamak devices requires the development of efficient current drive methods. Previous experiments have shown that plasma current can be driven effectively by externally launched radio frequency power coupled to lower hybrid plasma waves. However, at the high plasma densities required for fusion power plants, the coupled radio frequency power does not penetrate into the plasma core, possibly because of strong wave interactions with the plasma edge. Here we show experiments performed on FTU (Frascati Tokamak Upgrade) based on theoretical predictions that nonlinear interactions diminish when the peripheral plasma electron temperature is high, allowing significant wave penetration at high density. The results show that the coupled radio frequency power can penetrate into high-density plasmas due to weaker plasma edge effects, thus extending the effective range of lower hybrid current drive towards the domain relevant for fusion reactors.

3D Modeling of Antenna Driven Slow Waves Excited by Antennas Near the Plasma Edge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smithe, David; Jenkins, Thomas

2016-10-01

Prior work with the 3D finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) plasma and sheath model used to model ICRF antennas in fusion plasmas has highlighted the possibility of slow wave excitation at the very low end of the SOL density range, and thus the prudent need for a slow-time evolution model to treat SOL density modifications due to the RF itself. At higher frequency, the DIII-D helicon antenna has much easier access to a parasitic slow wave excitation, and in this case the Faraday screen provides the dominant means of controlling the content of the launched mode, with antenna end-effects remaining a concern. In both cases, the danger is the same, with the slow-wave propagating into a lower-hybrid resonance layer a short distance ( cm) away from the antenna, which would parasitically absorb power, transferring energy to the SOL edge plasma, primarily through electron-neutral collisions. We will present 3D modeling of antennas at both ICRF and helicon frequencies. We've added a slow-time evolution capability for the SOL plasma density to include ponderomotive force driven rarefaction from the strong fields in the vicinity of the antenna, and show initial application to NSTX antenna geometry and plasma configurations. The model is based on a Scalar Ponderomotive Potential method, using self-consistently computed local field amplitudes from the 3D simulation.

Electron Heating and Acceleration from High Amplitude Driven Alfvén Waves in the LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auerbach, David; Carter, Troy; Brugman, Brian

2006-10-01

High amplitude (δB/B ˜1 %) shear Alfvén waves are generated in the Large Plasma Device Upgrade (LAPD) at UCLA, and elevated electron temperatures and high energy electrons are observed using triple probes and Langmuir current traces. The Poynting flux of the observed waves is calculated, and wave power is compared to estimates of power input required to cause the observed heating. Theoretical calculations of power transfer from wave to plasma due to Landau damping and collisional heating are also presented and compared to experimental measurements. Heating by antenna near field effects is also being explored. The density and potential structures of these waves are explored using interferometer and triple probe measurements. Applications to Auroral generation and plasma heating are discussed.

Collision-Driven Negative-Energy Waves and the Weibel Instability of a Relativistic Electron Beam in a Quasineutral Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karmakar, Anupam; Kumar, Naveen; Shvets, Gennady; Polomarov, Oleg; Pukhov, Alexander

2008-12-01

A new model describing the Weibel instability of a relativistic electron beam propagating through a resistive plasma is developed. For finite-temperature beams, a new class of negative-energy magnetosound waves is identified, whose growth due to collisional dissipation destabilizes the beam-plasma system even for high beam temperatures. We perform 2D and 3D particle-in-cell simulations and show that in 3D geometry the Weibel instability persists even for collisionless background plasma. The anomalous plasma resistivity in 3D is caused by the two-stream instability.

Characteristics of solitary waves in a relativistic degenerate ion beam driven magneto plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deka, Manoj Kr.; Dev, Apul N.; Misra, Amar P.; Adhikary, Nirab C.

2018-01-01

The nonlinear propagation of a small amplitude ion acoustic solitary wave in a relativistic degenerate magneto plasma in the presence of an ion beam is investigated in detail. The nonlinear equations describing the evolution of a solitary wave in the presence of relativistic non-degenerate magnetized positive ions and ion beams including magnetized degenerate relativistic electrons are derived in terms of Zakharov-Kuznetsov (Z-K) equation for such plasma systems. The ion beams which are a ubiquitous ingredient in such plasma systems are found to have a decisive role in the propagation of a solitary wave in such a highly dense plasma system. The conditions of a wave, propagating with typical solitonic characteristics, are examined and discussed in detail under suitable conditions of different physical parameters. Both a subsonic and supersonic wave can propagate in such plasmas bearing different characteristics under different physical situations. A detailed analysis of waves propagating in subsonic and/or supersonic regime is carried out. The ion beam concentrations, magnetic field, as well as ion beam streaming velocity are found to play a momentous role on the control of the amplitude and width of small amplitude perturbation in both weakly (or non-relativistic) and relativistic plasmas.

Modeling of the control of the driven current profile in ICRF MCCD on EAST plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, L.; Yang, C.; Gong, X. Y.; Lu, X. Q.; Cao, J. J.; Wu, Z. Y.; Chen, Y.; Du, D.

2018-05-01

Control of the current profile is a crucial issue for improved confinement and the inhibition of instability in advanced tokamak operation. Using typical discharge data for the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, numerical simulations of driven-current profile control in mode conversion current drive (MCCD) in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies were performed employing a full-wave method and Ehst-Karney efficiency formula. Results indicate that the driven current profile in MCCD can be effectively modified by shifting the mode conversion layer. The peak of the driven current can be located at an aimed position in the normalized minor radius range (-0.60 ≤r/a≤0) by changing the radiofrequency and the minority-ion concentration. The efficiency of the off-axis MCCD can reach 233 kA/MW through optimization, and the mode converted ion cyclotron wave plays an important role in such scenarios. The effects of electron temperature and plasma density on the driven current profile are also investigated.

Avoiding Tokamak Disruptions by Applying Static Magnetic Fields That Align Locked Modes with Stabilizing Wave-Driven Currents [Avoiding Tokamak Disruptions by Magnetically Aligning Locked Modes with Stabilizing Wave-Driven Currents

DOE PAGES

Volpe, F. A.; Hyatt, Alan; La Haye, Robert J.; ...

2015-10-19

The international ITER tokamak has the objective of demonstrating the scientific feasibility of magnetic confinement fusion as a source of energy. A concern towards the achievement of this goal is represented by major disruptions: complete losses of confinement often initiated by a non-rotating ('locked') magnetic island created by magnetic reconnection. During disruptions, energy and particles accumulated in the plasma volume over many seconds are lost in a few milliseconds and released on the plasma-facing materials. In addition, multi-MA level currents flowing in the tokamak plasma for its sustainment and confinement are lost, also in milliseconds, thus terminating the plasma dischargemore » and causing electromagnetic stresses that, if unmitigated, could lead to excessive device wear. Moreover it is shown that magnetic perturbations can be used to avoid disruptions by "guiding" the magnetic island to lock in a position where it is accessible to millimetre wave beams that fully stabilize it.« less

Experimental Plans for Subsystems of a Shock Wave Driven Gas Core Reactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kazeminezhad, F.; Anghai, S.

2008-01-01

This Contractor Report proposes a number of plans for experiments on subsystems of a shock wave driven pulsed magnetic induction gas core reactor (PMI-GCR, or PMD-GCR pulsed magnet driven gas core reactor). Computer models of shock generation and collision in a large-scale PMI-GCR shock tube have been performed. Based upon the simulation results a number of issues arose that can only be addressed adequately by capturing experimental data on high pressure (approx.1 atmosphere or greater) partial plasma shock wave effects in large bore shock tubes ( 10 cm radius). There are three main subsystems that are of immediate interest (for appraisal of the concept viability). These are (1) the shock generation in a high pressure gas using either a plasma thruster or pulsed high magnetic field, (2) collision of MHD or gas dynamic shocks, their interaction time, and collision pile-up region thickness, and (3) magnetic flux compression power generation (not included here).

The Feasibility of Applying AC Driven Low-Temperature Plasma for Multi-Cycle Detonation Initiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Dianfeng

2016-11-01

Ignition is a key system in pulse detonation engines (PDE). As advanced ignition methods, nanosecond pulse discharge low-temperature plasma ignition is used in some combustion systems, and continuous alternating current (AC) driven low-temperature plasma using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is used for the combustion assistant. However, continuous AC driven plasmas cannot be used for ignition in pulse detonation engines. In this paper, experimental and numerical studies of pneumatic valve PDE using an AC driven low-temperature plasma igniter were described. The pneumatic valve was jointly designed with the low-temperature plasma igniter, and the numerical simulation of the cold-state flow field in the pneumatic valve showed that a complex flow in the discharge area, along with low speed, was beneficial for successful ignition. In the experiments ethylene was used as the fuel and air as oxidizing agent, ignition by an AC driven low-temperature plasma achieved multi-cycle intermittent detonation combustion on a PDE, the working frequency of the PDE reached 15 Hz and the peak pressure of the detonation wave was approximately 2.0 MPa. The experimental verifications of the feasibility in PDE ignition expanded the application field of AC driven low-temperature plasma. supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51176001)

Eddy, drift wave and zonal flow dynamics in a linear magnetized plasma

PubMed Central

Arakawa, H.; Inagaki, S.; Sasaki, M.; Kosuga, Y.; Kobayashi, T.; Kasuya, N.; Nagashima, Y.; Yamada, T.; Lesur, M.; Fujisawa, A.; Itoh, K.; Itoh, S.-I.

2016-01-01

Turbulence and its structure formation are universal in neutral fluids and in plasmas. Turbulence annihilates global structures but can organize flows and eddies. The mutual-interactions between flow and the eddy give basic insights into the understanding of non-equilibrium and nonlinear interaction by turbulence. In fusion plasma, clarifying structure formation by Drift-wave turbulence, driven by density gradients in magnetized plasma, is an important issue. Here, a new mutual-interaction among eddy, drift wave and flow in magnetized plasma is discovered. A two-dimensional solitary eddy, which is a perturbation with circumnavigating motion localized radially and azimuthally, is transiently organized in a drift wave – zonal flow (azimuthally symmetric band-like shear flows) system. The excitation of the eddy is synchronized with zonal perturbation. The organization of the eddy has substantial impact on the acceleration of zonal flow. PMID:27628894

Observations of strong ion-ion correlations in dense plasmas

DOE PAGES

Ma, T.; Fletcher, L.; Pak, A.; ...

2014-04-24

Using simultaneous spectrally, angularly, and temporally resolved x-ray scattering, we measure the pronounced ion-ion correlation peak in a strongly coupled plasma. Laser-driven shock-compressed aluminum at ~3× solid density is probed with high-energy photons at 17.9 keV created by molybdenum He-α emission in a laser-driven plasma source. The measured elastic scattering feature shows a well-pronounced correlation peak at a wave vector of k=4Å –1. The magnitude of this correlation peak cannot be described by standard plasma theories employing a linear screened Coulomb potential. Advanced models, including a strong short-range repulsion due to the inner structure of the aluminum ions are howevermore » in good agreement with the scattering data. These studies have demonstrated a new highly accurate diagnostic technique to directly measure the state of compression and the ion-ion correlations. Furthermore, we have since applied this new method in single-shot wave-number resolved S(k) measurements to characterize the physical properties of dense plasmas.« less

Enhancement of wave growth for warm plasmas with a high-energy tail distribution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thorne, Richard M.; Summers, Danny

1991-01-01

The classical linear theory of electromagnetic wave growth in a warm plasma is considered for waves propagating parallel to a uniform ambient magnetic field. Wave-growth rates are calculated for ion-driven right-hand mode waves for Kappa and Maxwellian particle distribution functions and for various values of the spectral index, the temperature anisotropy, and the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure appropriate to the solar wind. When the anisotropy is low the wave growth is limited to frequencies below the proton gyrofrequency and the growth rate increases dramatically as the spectral index is reduced. The growth rate for any Kappa distribution greatly exceeds that for a Maxwellian with the same bulk properties. For large thermal anisotropy the growth rate from either distribution is greatly enhanced. The growth rates from a Kappa distribution are generally larger than for a Maxwellian distribution, and significant wave growth occurs over a broader range of frequencies.

Development of a large-area planar surface-wave plasma source with a cavity launcher driven by a 915 MHz UHF wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Xijiang; Kunii, Kazuki; Liang, Rongqing; Nagatsu, Masaaki

2013-04-01

A large-area planar surface-wave plasma (SWP) source driven by a 915 MHz ultrahigh frequency (UHF) wave was developed. To avoid using large, thick dielectric plates as vacuum windows, we propose a cavity launcher consisting of a cylindrical cavity with several small quartz discs at the bottom. Three types of launchers with quartz discs located at different positions were tested to compare their plasma production efficiencies and spatial distributions of electron density. With the optimum launcher, large-area plasma discharges with a radial uniformity within ±10% were obtained in a radius of about 25-30 cm in Ar gas at 8 Pa for incident power in the range 0.5-2.5 kW. The maximum electron density and temperature were approximately (0.95-1.1) × 1011 cm-3 and 1.9-2.0 eV, respectively, as measured by a Langmuir probe located 24 cm below the bottom of the cavity launcher. Using an Ar/NH3 SWP with the optimum launcher, we demonstrated large-area amino-group surface modification of polyurethane sheets. Experimental results indicated that a uniform amino-group modification was achieved over a radius of approximately 40 cm, which is slightly larger than the radial uniformity of the electron density distribution.

Current drive by helicon waves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Paul, Manash Kumar; Bora, Dhiraj; ITER Organization, Cadarache Centre-building 519, 131008 St. Paul-Lez-Durance

2009-01-01

Helicity in the dynamo field components of helicon wave is examined during the novel study of wave induced helicity current drive. Strong poloidal asymmetry in the wave magnetic field components is observed during helicon discharges formed in a toroidal vacuum chamber of small aspect ratio. High frequency regime is chosen to increase the phase velocity of helicon waves which in turn minimizes the resonant wave-particle interactions and enhances the contribution of the nonresonant current drive mechanisms. Owing to the strong poloidal asymmetry in the wave magnetic field structures, plasma current is driven mostly by the dynamo-electric-field, which arise due tomore » the wave helicity injection by helicon waves. Small, yet finite contribution from the suppressed wave-particle resonance cannot be ruled out in the operational regime examined. A brief discussion on the parametric dependence of plasma current along with numerical estimations of nonresonant components is presented. A close agreement between the numerical estimation and measured plasma current magnitude is obtained during the present investigation.« less

Coherent generation of the auroral kilometric radiation by nonlinear beatings between electrostatic waves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pellat, R.; Roux, A.

1979-09-01

The propagation of electrostatic plasma waves in an inhomogeneous and magnetized plasma is studied analytically. These waves, which are driven unstable by auroral beams of electrons, are shown to suffer a further geometrical amplification while they propagate toward cut-off. Simultaneously their group velocities tend to be aligned with the geomagnetic field. Then it is shown that the electrostatic energy tends to accumulate at or near ..omega../sub L/H and ..omega../sub U/H, the local lower and upper hybrid frequencies. Due to this process, large amplitude electrostatic waves with very narrow spectra should be observed near these frequencies at any place along themore » auroral field lines where intense beam driven instability takes place. These intense quasi-monochromatic electrostatic waves are then shown to give rise by a coherent nonlinear three wave process to an intense electromagnetic radiation. Provided that the ratio ..omega../sub p/e/..omega../sub c/e tends to be smaller than unity, it is shown that the most intense radiation should be observed at 2..omega../sub U/H in the extraordinary mode.« less

Maximum Langmuir Fields in Planetary Foreshocks Determined from the Electrostatic Decay Threshold

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, P. A.; Cairns, Iver H.

1995-01-01

Maximum electric fields of Langmuir waves at planetary foreshocks are estimated from the threshold for electrostatic decay, assuming it saturates beam driven growth, and incorporating heliospheric variation of plasma density and temperature. Comparisons with spacecraft observations yields good quantitative agreement. Observations in type 3 radio sources are also in accord with this interpretation. A single mechanism can thus account for the highest fields of beam driven waves in both contexts.

Detailed energy distributions in laser-produced plasmas of solid gold and foam gold planar targets

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dong, Yunsong; Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084; Zhang, Lu

Foam gold was proposed to increase the laser to x-ray conversion efficiency due to its important applications. To understand the mechanism of x-ray enhancement, the detailed energy distributions and plasma profiles for laser-irradiated solid gold and foam gold targets were studied comparatively by hydrodynamic simulations using the code Multi-1D. It is confirmed that the radiation heat wave is subsonic for the normal solid gold target, while supersonic for the foam gold target. The shock wave, which is behind the supersonic radiation heat wave for the foam gold target, generates a plasma temperature gradient with high temperature near the shock wavemore » front to produce an additional net outward radiation for enhancement of the x-ray emission. Much larger inward plasma velocity is also driven by the shock wave as an initial plasma velocity for the laser deposition and electron thermal conduct zone, which decreases the expanding plasma kinetic energy loss and helps to increase the x-ray radiation.« less

Non-inductive current driven by Alfvén waves in solar coronal loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elfimov, A. G.; de Azevedo, C. A.; de Assis, A. S.

1996-08-01

It has been shown that Alfvén waves can drive non-inductive current in solar coronal loops via collisional or collisionless damping. Assuming that all the coronal-loop density of dissipated wave power (W= 10-3 erg cm-3 s-1), which is necessary to keep the plasma hot, is due to Alfvén wave electron heating, we have estimated the axial current density driven by Alfvén waves to be ≈ 103 105 statA cm-2. This current can indeed support the quasi-stationary equilibrium and stability of coronal loops and create the poloidal magnetic field up to B θ≈1-5 G.

Comparative In Situ Measurements of Plasma Instabilities in the Equatorial and Auroral Electrojets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, Robert F.

2008-01-01

This presentation provides a comparison of in situ measurements of plasma instabilities gathered by rocket-borne probes in the equatorial and auroral electrojets. Specifically, using detailed measurements of the DC electric fields, current density, and plasma number density within the unstable daytime equatorial electrojet from Brazil (Guara Campaign) and in the auroral electrojet from Sweden (ERRIS Campaign), we present comparative observations and general conclusions regarding the observed physical properties of Farley-Buneman two-stream waves and large scale, gradient drift waves. The two stream observations reveal coherent-like waves propagating near the E x B direction but at reduced speeds (nearer to the presumed acoustic velocity) with wavelengths of approximately 5-10m in both the equatorial and auroral electrojet, as measured using the spaced-receiver technique. The auroral electrojet data generally shows extensions to shorter wavelengths, in concert with the fact that these waves are driven harder. With respect to gradient-drift driven waves, observations of this instability are much more pronounced in the equatorial electrojet, given the more favorable geometry for growth provided by the vertical gradient and horizontal magnetic field lines. We present new analysis of Guara rocket observations of electric field and plasma density data that reveal considerable structuring in the middle and lower portion of the electrojet (90-105 km) where the ambient plasma density gradient is unstable. Although the electric field amplitudes are largest (approximately 10-15 mV/m) in the zonal direction, considerable structure (approximately 5-10 mV/m) is also observed in the vertical electric field component as well, implying that the dominant large scale waves involve significant vertical interaction and coupling within the narrow altitude range where they are observed. Furthermore, a detailed examination of the phase of the waveforms show that on some, but not all occasions, locally enhanced eastward fields are associated with locally enhanced upwards (polarization) electric fields. The measurements are discussed in terms of theories involving the non-linear evolution and structuring of plasma waves.

The preplasma effect on the properties of the shock wave driven by a fast electron beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Llor Aisa, E.; Ribeyre, X.; Tikhonchuk, V. T.

2016-08-15

Strong shock wave generation by a mono-energetic fast electron beam in a plasma with an increasing density profile is studied theoretically. The proposed analytical model describes the shock wave characteristics for a homogeneous plasma preceded by a low density precursor. The shock pressure and the time of shock formation depend on the ratio of the electron stopping length to the preplasma areal density and on the initial energy of injected electrons. The conclusions of theoretical model are confirmed in numerical simulations.

Stochastic Acceleration of Ions Driven by Pc1 Wave Packets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khazanov, G. V.; Sibeck, D. G.; Tel'nikhin, A. A.; Kronberg, T. K.

2015-01-01

The stochastic motion of protons and He(sup +) ions driven by Pc1 wave packets is studied in the context of resonant particle heating. Resonant ion cyclotron heating typically occurs when wave powers exceed 10(exp -4) nT sq/Hz. Gyroresonance breaks the first adiabatic invariant and energizes keV ions. Cherenkov resonances with the electrostatic component of wave packets can also accelerate ions. The main effect of this interaction is to accelerate thermal protons to the local Alfven speed. The dependencies of observable quantities on the wave power and plasma parameters are determined, and estimates for the heating extent and rate of particle heating in these wave-particle interactions are shown to be in reasonable agreement with known empirical data.

Magnetospheric Multiscale observations of large-amplitude, parallel, electrostatic waves associated with magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ergun, R. E.; Holmes, J. C.; Goodrich, K. A.; Wilder, F. D.; Stawarz, J. E.; Eriksson, S.; Newman, D. L.; Schwartz, S. J.; Goldman, M. V.; Sturner, A. P.; Malaspina, D. M.; Usanova, M. E.; Torbert, R. B.; Argall, M.; Lindqvist, P.-A.; Khotyaintsev, Y.; Burch, J. L.; Strangeway, R. J.; Russell, C. T.; Pollock, C. J.; Giles, B. L.; Dorelli, J. J. C.; Avanov, L.; Hesse, M.; Chen, L. J.; Lavraud, B.; Le Contel, O.; Retino, A.; Phan, T. D.; Eastwood, J. P.; Oieroset, M.; Drake, J.; Shay, M. A.; Cassak, P. A.; Nakamura, R.; Zhou, M.; Ashour-Abdalla, M.; André, M.

2016-06-01

We report observations from the Magnetospheric Multiscale satellites of large-amplitude, parallel, electrostatic waves associated with magnetic reconnection at the Earth's magnetopause. The observed waves have parallel electric fields (E||) with amplitudes on the order of 100 mV/m and display nonlinear characteristics that suggest a possible net E||. These waves are observed within the ion diffusion region and adjacent to (within several electron skin depths) the electron diffusion region. They are in or near the magnetosphere side current layer. Simulation results support that the strong electrostatic linear and nonlinear wave activities appear to be driven by a two stream instability, which is a consequence of mixing cold (<10 eV) plasma in the magnetosphere with warm (~100 eV) plasma from the magnetosheath on a freshly reconnected magnetic field line. The frequent observation of these waves suggests that cold plasma is often present near the magnetopause.

Hydrodynamic Model for Density Gradients Instability in Hall Plasmas Thrusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Sukhmander

2017-10-01

There is an increasing interest for a correct understanding of purely growing electromagnetic and electrostatic instabilities driven by a plasma gradient in a Hall thruster devices. In Hall thrusters, which are typically operated with xenon, the thrust is provided by the acceleration of ions in the plasma generated in a discharge chamber. The goal of this paper is to study the instabilities due to gradients of plasma density and conditions for the growth rate and real part of the frequency for Hall thruster plasmas. Inhomogeneous plasmas prone a wide class of eigen modes induced by inhomogeneities of plasma density and called drift waves and instabilities. The growth rate of the instability has a dependences on the magnetic field, plasma density, ion temperature and wave numbers and initial drift velocities of the plasma species.

Studies of a driven Alfvénic cavity and cylindrical Alfven eigenmodes in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lybarger, Warren; Carter, Troy; Brugman, Brian; Pribyl, Pat

2004-11-01

An Alfven wave MASER has been observed in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD), where an instability drives a resonant Alfven wave in the cavity defined by the cathode and anode of the discharge source(J.E. Maggs and G.J. Morales, PRL, 91, 035004-1 (2003)). We will present a study of external driving of this cavity, motivated by a desire to find a source of large amplitude Alfvén waves for studies of nonlinear interactions. The cavity is driven by modulating the discharge current using a broadband, high power push-pull amplifier. The Alfvén waves launched by exciting the cavity are large amplitude (δ B/B ˜ 1%) and are eigenmodes of the cylindrical column. Experimental results will be presented on the structure of the eigenmodes in the plasma column, the Q-value of the cavity and its dependence on plasma parameters, and deviations in the structure of the eigenmodes from ideal MHD due to kinetic effects. Experimental results will be compared to theories of Alfvén eigenmodes in a cylindrical column. * Work supported by DOE grant # DE-FG03-02ER54688

Thermal and Driven Stochastic Growth of Langmuir Waves in the Solar Wind and Earth's Foreshock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cairns, Iver H.; Robinson, P. A.; Anderson, R. R.

2000-01-01

Statistical distributions of Langmuir wave fields in the solar wind and the edge of Earth's foreshock are analyzed and compared with predictions for stochastic growth theory (SGT). SGT quantitatively explains the solar wind, edge, and deep foreshock data as pure thermal waves, driven thermal waves subject to net linear growth and stochastic effects, and as waves in a pure SGT state, respectively, plus radiation near the plasma frequency f(sub p). These changes are interpreted in terms of spatial variations in the beam instability's growth rate and evolution toward a pure SGT state. SGT analyses of field distributions are shown to provide a viable alternative to thermal noise spectroscopy for wave instruments with coarse frequency resolution, and to separate f(sub p) radiation from Langmuir waves.

Stimulated scattering of electromagnetic waves carrying orbital angular momentum in quantum plasmas.

PubMed

Shukla, P K; Eliasson, B; Stenflo, L

2012-07-01

We investigate stimulated scattering instabilities of coherent circularly polarized electromagnetic (CPEM) waves carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) in dense quantum plasmas with degenerate electrons and nondegenerate ions. For this purpose, we employ the coupled equations for the CPEM wave vector potential and the driven (by the ponderomotive force of the CPEM waves) equations for the electron and ion plasma oscillations. The electrons are significantly affected by the quantum forces (viz., the quantum statistical pressure, the quantum Bohm potential, as well as the electron exchange and electron correlations due to electron spin), which are included in the framework of the quantum hydrodynamical description of the electrons. Furthermore, our investigation of the stimulated Brillouin instability of coherent CPEM waves uses the generalized ion momentum equation that includes strong ion coupling effects. The nonlinear equations for the coupled CPEM and quantum plasma waves are then analyzed to obtain nonlinear dispersion relations which exhibit stimulated Raman, stimulated Brillouin, and modulational instabilities of CPEM waves carrying OAM. The present results are useful for understanding the origin of scattered light off low-frequency density fluctuations in high-energy density plasmas where quantum effects are eminent.

Studies of waves and instabilities using increased beta, warm ion plasmas in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy; Dorfman, Seth; Gekelman, Walter; Vincena, Steve; van Compernolle, Bart; Tripathi, Shreekrishna; Pribyl, Pat; Morales, George

2015-11-01

A new plasma source based on a Lanthanum Hexaboride (LAB6) emissive cathode has been developed and installed on the LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) at UCLA. The new source provides a much higher discharge current density (compared to the standard LAPD Barium Oxide source) resulting in a factor of ~ 50 increase in plasma density and a factor of ~ 2 - 3 increase in electron temperature. Due to the increased density the ion-electron energy exchange time is shorter in the new plasma, resulting in warm ions (measured spectroscopically to be ~ 5 - 6 eV, up from <~ 1 eV in the standard source plasma). This increased pressure combined with lowered magnetic field provides access to magnetized plasmas with β up to order unity. Topics under investigation include the physics of Alfvén waves in increased β plasmas (dispersion and kinetic damping on ions), electromagnetic effects and magnetic transport in drift-Alfvén wave turbulence, and the excitation of ion-temperature-anisotropy driven modes such as the mirror and firehose instabilities. The capabilities of the new source will be discussed along with initial experimental resuls on electromagnetic drift-Alfvén wave turbulence and Alfvén wave propagation with increased plasma β. Supported by NSF and DOE.

Two-color ionization injection using a plasma beatwave accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schroeder, C. B.; Benedetti, C.; Esarey, E.

Two-color laser ionization injection is a method to generate ultra-low emittance (sub-100 nm transverse normalized emittance) beams in a laser-driven plasma accelerator. A plasma beatwave accelerator is proposed to drive the plasma wave for ionization injection, where the beating of the lasers effectively produces a train of long-wavelength pulses. The plasma beatwave accelerator excites a large amplitude plasma wave with low peak laser electric fields, leaving atomically-bound electrons with low ionization potential. A short-wavelength, low-amplitude ionization injection laser pulse (with a small ponderomotive force and large peak electric field) is used to ionize the remaining bound electrons at a wakemore » phase suitable for trapping, generating an ultra-low emittance electron beam that is accelerated in the plasma wave. Using a plasma beatwave accelerator for wakefield excitation, compared to short-pulse wakefield excitation, allows for a lower amplitude injection laser pulse and, hence, a lower emittance beam may be generated.« less

Two-color ionization injection using a plasma beatwave accelerator

DOE PAGES

Schroeder, C. B.; Benedetti, C.; Esarey, E.; ...

2018-01-10

Two-color laser ionization injection is a method to generate ultra-low emittance (sub-100 nm transverse normalized emittance) beams in a laser-driven plasma accelerator. A plasma beatwave accelerator is proposed to drive the plasma wave for ionization injection, where the beating of the lasers effectively produces a train of long-wavelength pulses. The plasma beatwave accelerator excites a large amplitude plasma wave with low peak laser electric fields, leaving atomically-bound electrons with low ionization potential. A short-wavelength, low-amplitude ionization injection laser pulse (with a small ponderomotive force and large peak electric field) is used to ionize the remaining bound electrons at a wakemore » phase suitable for trapping, generating an ultra-low emittance electron beam that is accelerated in the plasma wave. Using a plasma beatwave accelerator for wakefield excitation, compared to short-pulse wakefield excitation, allows for a lower amplitude injection laser pulse and, hence, a lower emittance beam may be generated.« less

Driven phase space vortices in plasmas with nonextensive velocity distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trivedi, Pallavi; Ganesh, Rajaraman

2017-03-01

The evolution of chirp-driven electrostatic waves in unmagnetized plasmas is numerically investigated by using a one-dimensional (1D) Vlasov-poisson solver with periodic boundary conditions. The initial velocity distribution of the 1D plasma is assumed to be governed by nonextensive q distribution [C. Tsallis, J. Stat. Phys. 52, 479 (1988)]. For an infinitesimal amplitude of an external drive, we investigate the effects of chirp driven dynamics that leads to the formation of giant phase space vortices (PSV) for both Maxwellian (q = 1) and non-Maxwellian ( q ≠ 1 ) plasmas. For non-Maxwellian plasmas, the formation of giant PSV with multiple extrema and phase velocities is shown to be dependent on the strength of "q". Novel features such as "shark"-like and transient "honeycomb"-like structures in phase space are discussed. Wherever relevant, we compare our results with previous work.

Recent Advances in Velocity Shear Driven Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganguli, G.

1996-11-01

Macroscopic flows are commonly encountered in a wide variety of plasmas and it is becoming increasingly apparent that the presence of shear in such flows can have a pronounced effect on the nonlinear evolution. For instance, in tokamak devices, sheared poloidal flows are thought to play a crucial role in the L--H transition. In laser-produced plasmas, strongly sheared plasma jets are believed to lead to the onset of intense lower-hybrid waves. In the natural plasma environment of the Earth's ionosphere and magnetosphere, observations indicate a correlation between inhomogeneous flows, plasma wave activity, and particle energization. Different physical processes in which shear-driven phenomenon may dominate span a wide range of spatiotemporal scales. Cross-scale coupling between them can play a vital role in determining the ultimate state of a plasma system which, for space plasmas, is an important factor responsible for the definition of ``space weather.'' Hence, the origin of sheared flows and the plasma response to them is a topic of considerable interest. Ongoing studies indicate that the influence of velocity shear can be generally classified into two broad categories, dissipative and reactive. In the dissipative category, low levels of shear can affect wave-particle interactions through resonance detuning which can substantially modify the normal modes and dispersive properties of a homogeneous plasma. A transverse velocity shear reduces the growth rates of the modes with frequencies lower than the ion-cyclotron frequency while it enhances those modes with frequencies around the ion-cyclotron frequency or larger. Sufficiently strong shear can induce a new class of oscillations via a reactive mechanism by creating neighboring regions with wave energy density of opposite sign. In general, depending on the magnitude and scale length, velocity shear can give rise to plasma oscillations in a very broad frequency and wavelength range. These properties and their applications to space and laboratory plasmas will be discussed.

The Basic Plasma Science Facility: a platform for studying plasma processes relevant to space and astrophysical settings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, T. A.

2017-10-01

The Basic Plasma Science Facility at UCLA is a national user facility for studies of fundamental processes in magnetized plasmas. The centerpiece is the Large Plasma Device, a 20 m, magnetized linear plasma device. Two hot cathode plasma sources are available. A Barium Oxide coated cathode produces plasmas with n 1012 cm-3, Te 5 eV, Ti < 1 eV with magnetic field from 400G-2kG. This low- β plasma has been used to study fundamental processes, including: dispersion and damping of kinetic and inertial Alfvén waves, flux ropes and magnetic reconnection, three-wave interactions and parametric instabilities of Alfvén waves, turbulence and transport, and interactions of energetic ions and electrons with plasma waves. A new Lanthanum Hexaboride (LaB6) cathode is now available which produces significantly higher densities and temperatures: n < 5 ×1013 cm-3, Te 12 eV, Ti 6 eV. This higher pressure plasma source enabled the observation of laser-driven collisionless magnetized shocks and, with lowered magnetic field, provides magnetized plasmas with β approaching or possibly exceeding unity. This opens up opportunities for investigating processes relevant to the solar wind and astrophysical plasmas. BaPSF is jointly supported by US DOE and NSF.

Nonlocal theory of beam-driven electron Bernstein waves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jain, V.K.; Tripathi, V.K.

A nonlocal theory of electron Bernstein waves driven unstable by an axial beam (V = V/sub b/z-italic-circumflex) of finite width has been developed. Assuming a parabolic density profile for the background plasma, an equation describing the mode structure of the wave is obtained in the slab geometry. The eigenfunctions are found to be Hermite polynomials. Expressions for the growth rates of the instabilities caused by Cerenkov and slow cyclotron interactions are derived. The results of the theory are applied to explain some of the experimental observations of Jain and Christiansen (Phys. Lett. A 82, 127 (1981)).

Cross-Beam Energy Transfer Driven by Incoherent Laser Beams with Frequency Detuning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maximov, A.; Myatt, J. F.; Short, R. W.; Igumenshchev, I. V.; Seka, W.

2015-11-01

In the direct-drive method of the inertial confinement fusion (ICF), the coupling of laser energy to target plasmas is strongly influenced by the effect of cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) between multiple driving laser beams. The laser -plasma interaction (LPI) model of CBET is based on the nonparaxial laser light propagation coupled with the low-frequency ion-acoustic-domain plasma response. Common ion waves driven by multiple laser beams play a very important role in CBET. The effect of the frequency detuning (colors) in the driving laser beams is studied and it is shown to significantly reduce the level of common ion waves and therefore the level of CBET. The differences between the LPI-based CBET model and the ray-based CBET model used in hydrocodes are discussed. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.

Two species drag/diffusion model for energetic particle driven modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aslanyan, V.; Sharapov, S. E.; Spong, D. A.; Porkolab, M.

2017-12-01

A nonlinear bump-on-tail model for the growth and saturation of energetic particle driven plasma waves has been extended to include two populations of fast particles—one dominated by dynamical friction at the resonance and the other by velocity space diffusion. The resulting temporal evolution of the wave amplitude and frequency depends on the relative weight of the two populations. The two species model is applied to burning plasma with drag-dominated alpha particles and diffusion-dominated ICRH accelerated minority ions, showing the stabilization of bursting modes. The model also suggests an explanation for the recent observations on the TJ-II stellarator, where Alfvén Eigenmodes transition between steady state and bursting as the magnetic configuration varied.

Predicting electromagnetic ion cyclotron wave amplitude from unstable ring current plasma conditions

DOE PAGES

Fu, Xiangrong; Cowee, Misa M.; Jordanova, Vania K.; ...

2016-11-01

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in the Earth's inner magnetosphere are enhanced fluctuations driven unstable by ring current ion temperature anisotropy. EMIC waves can resonate with relativistic electrons and play an important role in precipitation of MeV radiation belt electrons. In this study, we investigate the excitation and saturation of EMIC instability in a homogeneous plasma using both linear theory and nonlinear hybrid simulations. We have explored a four-dimensional parameter space, carried out a large number of simulations, and derived a scaling formula that relates the saturation EMIC wave amplitude to initial plasma conditions. Finally, such scaling can be usedmore » in conjunction with ring current models like ring current-atmosphere interactions model with self-consistent magnetic field to provide global dynamic EMIC wave maps that will be more accurate inputs for radiation belt modeling than statistical models.« less

Short-scale turbulent fluctuations driven by the electron-temperature gradient in the national spherical torus experiment.

PubMed

Mazzucato, E; Smith, D R; Bell, R E; Kaye, S M; Hosea, J C; LeBlanc, B P; Wilson, J R; Ryan, P M; Domier, C W; Luhmann, N C; Yuh, H; Lee, W; Park, H

2008-08-15

Measurements with coherent scattering of electromagnetic waves in plasmas of the National Spherical Torus Experiment indicate the existence of turbulent fluctuations in the range of wave numbers k perpendicular rho(e)=0.1-0.4, corresponding to a turbulence scale length nearly equal to the collisionless skin depth. Experimental observations and agreement with numerical results from a linear gyrokinetic stability code support the conjecture that the observed turbulence is driven by the electron-temperature gradient.

Direct Evidence of EMIC-Driven Electron Loss in Space: Evaluation of an Electron Dropout Event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.; Li, W.; Ma, Q.; Thorne, R. M.; Angelopoulos, V.

2015-12-01

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves have been proposed as a mechanism to cause efficient losses of highly relativistic (>MeV) electrons via gyroresonant interactions. However, simultaneous observations of EMIC waves and equatorial electron pitch angle distributions, which can be used to directly quantify the EMIC wave scattering effect, are still very limited. In the present study, we evaluate the effect of EMIC waves on the pitch angle scattering of relativistic and ultrarelativistic (0.5-5 MeV) electrons during the main phase of a geomagnetic storm, when intense EMIC wave activity was observed in situ (in the plasma plume region with high plasma density) on both the Van Allen Probes and one of the THEMIS probes. EMIC waves captured on the ground across the Canadian Array for Real-time Investigations of Magnetic Activity (CARISMA) and enhanced precipitation of >~0.7 MeV electrons captured by POES are used to infer the MLT coverage of EMIC waves. Based on the observed EMIC wave spectra, local fpe and fce, we estimate the wave diffusion rates and model the evolution of electron pitch angle distributions. By comparing the modeled results with local observations of pitch angle distributions, for the first time, we are able to show direct, quantitative evidence of EMIC wave-driven relativistic electron loss in the Earth's outer radiation belt.

Nonlinear pulse propagation and phase velocity of laser-driven plasma waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benedetti, Carlo; Rossi, Francesco; Schroeder, Carl; Esarey, Eric; Leemans, Wim

2014-10-01

We investigate and characterize the laser evolution and plasma wave excitation by a relativistically intense, short-pulse laser propagating in a preformed parabolic plasma channel, including the effects of pulse steepening, frequency redshifting, and energy depletion. We derived in 3D, and in the weakly relativistic intensity regime, analytical expressions for the laser energy depletion, the pulse self-steepening rate, the laser intensity centroid velocity, and the phase velocity of the plasma wave. Analytical results have been validated numerically using the 2D-cylindrical, ponderomotive code INF&RNO. We also discuss the extension of these results to the nonlinear regime, where an analytical theory of the nonlinear wake phase velocity is lacking. Work supported by the Office of Science, Office of High Energy Physics, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Revisiting linear plasma waves for finite value of the plasma parameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grismayer, Thomas; Fahlen, Jay; Decyk, Viktor; Mori, Warren

2010-11-01

We investigate through theory and PIC simulations the Landau-damping of plasma waves with finite plasma parameter. We concentrate on the linear regime, γφB, where the waves are typically small and below the thermal noise. We simulate these condition using 1,2,3D electrostatic PIC codes (BEPS), noting that modern computers now allow us to simulate cases where (nλD^3 = [1e2;1e6]). We study these waves by using a subtraction technique in which two simulations are carried out. In the first, a small wave is initialized or driven, in the second no wave is excited. The results are subtracted to provide a clean signal that can be studied. As nλD^3 is decreased, the number of resonant electrons can be small for linear waves. We show how the damping changes as a result of having few resonant particles. We also find that for small nλD^3 fluctuations can cause the electrons to undergo collisions that eventually destroy the initial wave. A quantity of interest is the the life time of a particular mode which depends on the plasma parameter and the wave number. The life time is estimated and then compared with the numerical results. A surprising result is that even for large values of nλD^3 some non-Vlasov discreteness effects appear to be important.

Generation of surface-wave microwave microplasmas in hollow-core photonic crystal fiber based on a split-ring resonator.

PubMed

Vial, Florian; Gadonna, Katell; Debord, Benoît; Delahaye, Frédéric; Amrani, Foued; Leroy, Olivier; Gérôme, Frédéric; Benabid, Fetah

2016-05-15

We report on a new and highly compact scheme for the generation and sustainment of microwave-driven plasmas inside the core of an inhibited coupling Kagome hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. The microwave plasma generator consists of a split-ring resonator that efficiently couples the microwave field into the gas-filled fiber. This coupling induces the concomitant generation of a microwave surface wave at the fiber core surround and a stable plasma column confined in the fiber core. The scheme allowed the generation of several centimeters long argon microplasma columns with a very low excitation power threshold. This result represents an important step toward highly compact plasma lasers or plasma-based photonic components.

Magnetospheric Multiscale Observations of Large-Amplitude Parallel, Electrostatic Waves Associated with Magnetic Reconnection at the Magnetopause

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ergun, R. E.; Holmes, J. C.; Goodrich, K. A.; Wilder, F. D.; Stawarz, J. E.; Eriksson, S.; Newman, D. L.; Schwartz, S. J.; Goldman, M. V.; Sturner, A. P.;

Suppression of energetic particle driven instabilities with HHFW heating

DOE PAGES

Fredrickson, E. D.; Taylor, G.; Bertelli, N.; ...

2015-01-01

In plasmas in the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) [Ono et al., Nucl. Fusion 40 (2000) 557] heated with neutral beams, the beam ions typically excite Energetic Particle Modes (EPMs or fishbones), and Toroidal, Global or Compressional Alfvén Eigenmodes (TAE, GAE, CAE). These modes can redistribute the energetic beam ions, altering the beam driven current profile and the plasma heating profile, or they may affect electron thermal transport or cause losses of the beam ions. In this paper we present experimental results where these instabilities, driven by the super-thermal beam ions, are suppressed with the application of High Harmonic Fastmore » Wave heating.« less

Causes of plasma column contraction in surface-wave-driven discharges in argon at atmospheric pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ridenti, Marco Antonio; de Amorim, Jayr; Dal Pino, Arnaldo; Guerra, Vasco; Petrov, George

2018-01-01

In this work we compute the main features of a surface-wave-driven plasma in argon at atmospheric pressure in view of a better understanding of the contraction phenomenon. We include the detailed chemical kinetics dynamics of Ar and solve the mass conservation equations of the relevant neutral excited and charged species. The gas temperature radial profile is calculated by means of the thermal diffusion equation. The electric field radial profile is calculated directly from the numerical solution of the Maxwell equations assuming the surface wave to be propagating in the TM00 mode. The problem is considered to be radially symmetrical, the axial variations are neglected, and the equations are solved in a self-consistent fashion. We probe the model results considering three scenarios: (i) the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) is calculated by means of the Boltzmann equation; (ii) the EEDF is considered to be Maxwellian; (iii) the dissociative recombination is excluded from the chemical kinetics dynamics, but the nonequilibrium EEDF is preserved. From this analysis, the dissociative recombination is shown to be the leading mechanism in the constriction of surface-wave plasmas. The results are compared with mass spectrometry measurements of the radial density profile of the ions Ar+ and Ar2+. An explanation is proposed for the trends seen by Thomson scattering diagnostics that shows a substantial increase of electron temperature towards the plasma borders where the electron density is small.

Turbulent resistivity, diffusion and heating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fried, B. D.; Kennel, C. F.; Mackenzie, K.; Coroniti, F. V.; Kindel, J. M.; Stenzel, R.; Taylor, R. J.; White, R.; Wong, A. Y.; Bernstein, W.

1971-01-01

Experimental and theoretical studies are reported on ion acoustic and ion cyclotron turbulence and their roles in anomalous resistivity, viscosity, diffusion and heating and in the structure of collisionless electrostatic shocks. Resistance due to ion acoustic turbulence has been observed in experiments with a streaming cesium plasma in which electron current, potential rise due to turbulent resistivity, spectrum of unstable ion acoustic waves, and associated electron heating were all measured directly. Kinetic theory calculations for an expanding, unstable plasma, give results in agreement with the experiment. In a strong magnetic field, with T sub e/T sub i approximately 1 and current densities typical for present Tokomaks, the plasma is stable to ion acoustic but unstable to current driven electrostatic ion cyclotron waves. Relevant characteristics of these waves are calculated and it is shown that for ion, beta greater than m sub e/m sub i, the electromagnetic ion cyclotron wave has a lower instability threshold than the electrostatic one. However, when ion acoustic turbulence is present experiments with double plasma devices show rapid anomalous heating of an ion beam streaming through a plasma.

Direct evidence for EMIC wave scattering of relativistic electrons in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.-J.; Li, W.; Ma, Q.; Thorne, R. M.; Angelopoulos, V.; Bortnik, J.; Chen, L.; Kletzing, C. A.; Kurth, W. S.; Hospodarsky, G. B.; Baker, D. N.; Reeves, G. D.; Spence, H. E.; Blake, J. B.; Fennell, J. F.

2016-07-01

Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves have been proposed to cause efficient losses of highly relativistic (>1 MeV) electrons via gyroresonant interactions. Simultaneous observations of EMIC waves and equatorial electron pitch angle distributions, which can be used to directly quantify the EMIC wave scattering effect, are still very limited, however. In the present study, we evaluate the effect of EMIC waves on pitch angle scattering of ultrarelativistic (>1 MeV) electrons during the main phase of a geomagnetic storm, when intense EMIC wave activity was observed in situ (in the plasma plume region with high plasma density) on both Van Allen Probes. EMIC waves captured by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) probes and on the ground across the Canadian Array for Real-time Investigations of Magnetic Activity (CARISMA) are also used to infer their magnetic local time (MLT) coverage. From the observed EMIC wave spectra and local plasma parameters, we compute wave diffusion rates and model the evolution of electron pitch angle distributions. By comparing model results with local observations of pitch angle distributions, we show direct, quantitative evidence of EMIC wave-driven relativistic electron losses in the Earth's outer radiation belt.

Penetration of ELF currents and electromagnetic fields into the Earth's equatorial ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliasson, B.; Papadopoulos, K.

2009-10-01

The penetration of extremely low frequency (ELF) transient electromagnetic fields and associated currents in the Earth's equatorial E-region plasma is studied theoretically and numerically. In the low-frequency regime, the plasma dynamics of the E-region is characterized by helicon waves since the ions are viscously coupled to neutrals while the electrons remain mobile. For typical equatorial E-region parameters, the plasma is magnetically insulated from penetration of very long timescale magnetic fields by a thin diffusive sheath. Wave penetration driven by a vertically incident pulse localized in space and time leads to both vertical penetration and the triggering of ELF helicon/whistler waves that carry currents obliquely to the magnetic field lines. The study presented here may have relevance for ELF wave generation by lightning discharges and seismic activity and can lead to new concepts in ELF/ULF injection in the earth-ionosphere waveguide.

THz electromagnetic radiation driven by intense relativistic electron beam based on ion focus regime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhou, Qing; Xu, Jin; Zhang, Wenchao

The simulation study finds that the relativistic electron beam propagating through the plasma background can produce electromagnetic (EM) radiation. With the propagation of the electron beam, the oscillations of the beam electrons in transverse and longitudinal directions have been observed simultaneously, which provides the basis for the electromagnetic radiation. The simulation results clearly show that the electromagnetic radiation frequency can reach up to terahertz (THz) wave band which may result from the filter-like property of plasma background, and the electromagnetic radiation frequency closely depends on the plasma density. To understand the above simulation results physically, the dispersion relation of themore » beam-plasma system has been derived using the field-matching method, and the dispersion curves show that the slow wave modes can couple with the electron beam effectively in THz wave band, which is an important theoretical evidence of the EM radiation.« less

Electron Bernstein waves in spherical torus plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saveliev, A. N.

2006-11-30

Propagation and absorption of the electron Bernstein waves (EBWs) in spherical tokamaks (STs) have been intensively discussed in recent years because the EBWs coupled with an externally launched electromagnetic beam seem to be the only opportunity for microwave plasma heating and current drive in the electron cyclotron (EC) frequency range in the STs. The whole problem of the electron Bernstein heating and current drive (EBWHCD) in spherical plasmas is naturally divided into three major parts: coupling of incident electromagnetic waves (EMWs) to the EBWs near the upper hybrid resonance (UHR) surface, propagation and absorption of the EBWs in the plasmamore » interior and generation of noninductive current driven by the EBWs. The present paper is a brief survey of the most important theoretical and numerical results on the issue of EBWs.« less

Modeling laser-driven electron acceleration using WARP with Fourier decomposition

DOE PAGES

Lee, P.; Audet, T. L.; Lehe, R.; ...

2015-12-31

WARP is used with the recent implementation of the Fourier decomposition algorithm to model laser-driven electron acceleration in plasmas. Simulations were carried out to analyze the experimental results obtained on ionization-induced injection in a gas cell. The simulated results are in good agreement with the experimental ones, confirming the ability of the code to take into account the physics of electron injection and reduce calculation time. We present a detailed analysis of the laser propagation, the plasma wave generation and the electron beam dynamics.

Modeling laser-driven electron acceleration using WARP with Fourier decomposition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, P.; Audet, T. L.; Lehe, R.

WARP is used with the recent implementation of the Fourier decomposition algorithm to model laser-driven electron acceleration in plasmas. Simulations were carried out to analyze the experimental results obtained on ionization-induced injection in a gas cell. The simulated results are in good agreement with the experimental ones, confirming the ability of the code to take into account the physics of electron injection and reduce calculation time. We present a detailed analysis of the laser propagation, the plasma wave generation and the electron beam dynamics.

Control of ULF Wave Accessibility to the Inner Magnetosphere by the Convection of Plasma Density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degeling, A. W.; Rae, I. J.; Watt, C. E. J.; Shi, Q. Q.; Rankin, R.; Zong, Q.-G.

2018-02-01

During periods of storm activity and enhanced convection, the plasma density in the afternoon sector of the magnetosphere is highly dynamic due to the development of plasmaspheric drainage plume (PDP) structure. This significantly affects the local Alfvén speed and alters the propagation of ULF waves launched from the magnetopause. Therefore, it can be expected that the accessibility of ULF wave power for radiation belt energization is sensitively dependent on the recent history of magnetospheric convection and the stage of development of the PDP. This is investigated using a 3-D model for ULF waves within the magnetosphere in which the plasma density distribution is evolved using an advection model for cold plasma, driven by a (VollandStern) convection electrostatic field (resulting in PDP structure). The wave model includes magnetic field day/night asymmetry and extends to a paraboloid dayside magnetopause, from which ULF waves are launched at various stages during the PDP development. We find that the plume structure significantly alters the field line resonance location, and the turning point for MHD fast waves, introducing strong asymmetry in the ULF wave distribution across the noon meridian. Moreover, the density enhancement within the PDP creates a waveguide or local cavity for MHD fast waves, such that eigenmodes formed allow the penetration of ULF wave power to much lower L within the plume than outside, providing an avenue for electron energization.

The Alfvénic nature of energy transfer mediation in localized, strongly nonlinear Alfvén wavepacket collisions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verniero, J. L.; Howes, G. G.

2018-02-01

In space and astrophysical plasmas, violent events or instabilities inject energy into turbulent motions at large scales. Nonlinear interactions among the turbulent fluctuations drive a cascade of energy to small perpendicular scales at which the energy is ultimately converted into plasma heat. Previous work with the incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations has shown that this turbulent energy cascade is driven by the nonlinear interaction between counterpropagating Alfvén waves - also known as Alfvén wave collisions. Direct numerical simulations of weakly collisional plasma turbulence enables deeper insight into the nature of the nonlinear interactions underlying the turbulent cascade of energy. In this paper, we directly compare four cases: both periodic and localized Alfvén wave collisions in the weakly and strongly nonlinear limits. Our results reveal that in the more realistic case of localized Alfvén wave collisions (rather than the periodic case), all nonlinearly generated fluctuations are Alfvén waves, which mediates nonlinear energy transfer to smaller perpendicular scales.

Studies on Equatorial Shock Formation During Plasmaspheric Refilling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Nagendra

1995-01-01

During the grant period from August 1, 1994 to October 31, 1995 we have continued to investigate the effects of plasma wave instabilities on the early stage plasmaspheric refilling. Since ion beams are the primary feature of the interhemispheric plasma flows during the early stage refilling, ion-beam driven instabilities and associated waves are of primary interest. The major findings of this research are briefly summarized here. After a systematic examination of the relevant plasma instabilities, we realized that when the interhemispheric plasma flows begin to interpenetrate at the equator, the most relevant plasma instability is the electrostatic ion cyclotron wave instability. Only at later stages the ion-acoustic instability may be affecting the plasma flow. An interesting property of the electrostatic ion cyclotron wave is that it heats ions perpendicular to the magnetic field. When the ions in the field-aligned flows are transversely heated, they are trapped in the magnetic flux tube, thus affecting the refilling process. The eic wave instability is a microprocess with scale length of the order of ion Larmor radius and the corresponding time scale is the ion cyclotron period. We have attempted to tackle the problem for the plasmaspheric refilling by incorporating the effects of eic wave instability on the mesoscale plasma flow when the properties of the latter exceeds the critical conditions for the former. We have compared the results on refilling from the model with and without the eic instability effects.

Preheating study by reflectivity measurements in laser-driven shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benuzzi, A.; Koenig, M.; Faral, B.; Krishnan, J.; Pisani, F.; Batani, D.; Bossi, S.; Beretta, D.; Hall, T.; Ellwi, S.; Hüller, S.; Honrubia, J.; Grandjouan, N.

1998-06-01

A study on preheating effects in laser-driven shock waves is presented. Two different diagnostics were used: the color temperature measurement deduced by recording the target rear side emissivity in two spectral bands, and the rear surface reflectivity measurement by using a probe beam. In order to test the response of the two diagnostics to the preheating, three types of targets characterized by different radiative properties were used. The greater sensitivity of the second diagnostic compared with the first was demonstrated. A model which calculates the reflectivity using a one-dimensional hydrodynamic code data was developed. In this model, the wave propagation equations in the expanding plasma using an appropriate model for the electron-ion collision frequency applicable to the cold solid-hot plasma transition were solved. The comparison between the calculated and measured reflectivities allows us to estimate the preheating process.

Theory of ion Bernstein wave induced shear suppression of turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craddock, G. G.; Diamond, P. H.; Ono, M.; Biglari, H.

1994-06-01

The theory of radio frequency induced ion Bernstein wave- (IBW) driven shear flow in the edge is examined, with the goal of application of shear suppression of fluctuations. This work is motivated by the observed confinement improvement on IBW heated tokamaks [Phys. Fluids B 5, 241 (1993)], and by previous low-frequency work on RF-driven shear flows [Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 1535 (1991)]. It is found that the poloidal shear flow is driven electrostatically by both Reynolds stress and a direct ion momentum source, analogous to the concepts of helicity injection and electron momentum input in current drive, respectively. Flow drive by the former does not necessarily require momentum input to the plasma to induce a shear flow. For IBW, the direct ion momentum can be represented by direct electron momentum input, and a charge separation induced stress that imparts little momentum to the plasma. The derived Er profile due to IBW predominantly points inward, with little possibility of direction change, unlike low-frequency Alfvénic RF drive. The profile scale is set by the edge density gradient and electron dissipation. Due to the electrostatic nature of ion Bernstein waves, the poloidal flow contribution dominates in Er. Finally, the necessary edge power absorbed for shear suppression on Princeton Beta Experiment-Modified (PBX-M) [9th Topical Conference on Radio Frequency Power in Plasmas, Charleston, SC, 1991 (American Institute of Physics, New York, 1991), p. 129] is estimated to be 100 kW distributed over 5 cm.

Space-based laser-driven MHD generator: Feasibility study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Choi, S. H.

1986-01-01

The feasibility of a laser-driven MHD generator, as a candidate receiver for a space-based laser power transmission system, was investigated. On the basis of reasonable parameters obtained in the literature, a model of the laser-driven MHD generator was developed with the assumptions of a steady, turbulent, two-dimensional flow. These assumptions were based on the continuous and steady generation of plasmas by the exposure of the continuous wave laser beam thus inducing a steady back pressure that enables the medium to flow steadily. The model considered here took the turbulent nature of plasmas into account in the two-dimensional geometry of the generator. For these conditions with the plasma parameters defining the thermal conductivity, viscosity, electrical conductivity for the plasma flow, a generator efficiency of 53.3% was calculated. If turbulent effects and nonequilibrium ionization are taken into account, the efficiency is 43.2%. The study shows that the laser-driven MHD system has potential as a laser power receiver for space applications because of its high energy conversion efficiency, high energy density and relatively simple mechanism as compared to other energy conversion cycles.

Perpendicular momentum input of lower hybrid waves and its influence on driving plasma rotation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guan, Xiaoyin

The mechanism of perpendicular momentum input of lower hybrid waves and its influence on plasma rotation are studied. Discussion for parallel momentum input of lower hybrid waves is presented for comparison. It is found out that both toroidal and poloidal projections of perpendicular momentum input of lower hybrid waves are stronger than those of parallel momentum input. The perpendicular momentum input of lower hybrid waves therefore plays a dominant role in forcing the changes of rotation velocity observed during lower hybrid current drive. Lower hybrid waves convert perpendicular momentum carried by the waves into the momentum of dc electromagnetic fieldmore » by inducing a resonant-electron flow across flux surfaces therefore charge separation and a radial dc electric field. The dc field releases its momentum into plasma through the Lorentz force acting on the radial return current driven by the radial electric field. Plasma is spun up by the Lorentz force. An improved quasilinear theory with gyro-phase dependent distribution function is developed to calculate the radial flux of resonant electrons. Rotations are determined by a set of fluid equations for bulk electrons and ions, which are solved numerically by applying a finite-difference method. Analytical expressions for toroidal and poloidal rotations are derived using the same hydrodynamic model.« less

A Concept of Cross-Ferroic Plasma Turbulence

PubMed Central

Inagaki, S.; Kobayashi, T.; Kosuga, Y.; Itoh, S.-I.; Mitsuzono, T.; Nagashima, Y.; Arakawa, H.; Yamada, T.; Miwa, Y.; Kasuya, N.; Sasaki, M.; Lesur, M.; Fujisawa, A.; Itoh, K.

2016-01-01

The variety of scalar and vector fields in laboratory and nature plasmas is formed by plasma turbulence. Drift-wave fluctuations, driven by density gradients in magnetized plasmas, are known to relax the density gradient while they can generate flows. On the other hand, the sheared flow in the direction of magnetic fields causes Kelvin-Helmholtz type instabilities, which mix particle and momentum. These different types of fluctuations coexist in laboratory and nature, so that the multiple mechanisms for structural formation exist in extremely non-equilibrium plasmas. Here we report the discovery of a new order in plasma turbulence, in which chained structure formation is realized by cross-interaction between inhomogeneities of scalar and vector fields. The concept of cross-ferroic turbulence is developed, and the causal relation in the multiple mechanisms behind structural formation is identified, by measuring the relaxation rate and dissipation power caused by the complex turbulence-driven flux. PMID:26917218

Experimental studies of interactions between Alfv'en waves and striated density depletions in the LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auerbach, D. W.; Carter, T. A.; Vincena, S.

2008-11-01

Satellite measurements in the earth's magnetosphere have associated Alfv'en frequency fluctuations with density depletions striated along the geomagnetic field. This poster presents laboratory studies in the LADP experiment at UCLA modeling this phenomena. Density depletions are pre-formed in the plasma column by selectively blocking a portion of the drive beam, and Alfv'en waves are driven in the cavity by means of an inserted antenna. Relevant experimental parameters include an ion cyclotron radius around a mm, alfven parallel wavelength several meters, electron inertial length around 6 mm, and electron thermal speeds about a third of the alfv'en speed. We report here on modifications to the wave propagation due to the density depletion. We also report on the details of the interactions between the driven wave and the secondary drift-alfv'en wave instabilities that arise on the density boundary, including wave-wave interactions and possible turbulent broadening effects on the main wave.

Thomson-Scattering Study of the Subharmonic Decay of Ion-Acoustic Waves Driven by the Brillouin Instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandulet, H. C.; Labaune, C.; Lewis, K.; Depierreux, S.

2004-07-01

Thomson scattering (TS) has been used to investigate the two-ion decay instability of ion acoustic waves generated by stimulated Brillouin scattering in an underdense CH plasma. Two complementary TS diagnostics, spectrally and spatially resolved, demonstrate the occurrence of the subharmonic decay of the primary ion acoustic wave into two secondary waves. The study of the laser intensity dependence shows that the secondary ion acoustic waves are correlated with the SBS reflectivity saturation, at a level of a few percent.

Observation of turbulent-driven shear flow in a cylindrical laboratory plasma device.

PubMed

Holland, C; Yu, J H; James, A; Nishijima, D; Shimada, M; Taheri, N; Tynan, G R

2006-05-19

An azimuthally symmetric radially sheared plasma fluid flow is observed to spontaneously form in a cylindrical magnetized helicon plasma device with no external sources of momentum input. A turbulent momentum conservation analysis shows that this shear flow is sustained by the Reynolds stress generated by collisional drift turbulence in the device. The results provide direct experimental support for the basic theoretical picture of drift-wave-shear-flow interactions.

Laser beat wave resonant terahertz generation in a magnetized plasma channel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bhasin, Lalita; Tripathi, V. K.; Kumar, Pawan, E-mail: kumarpawan-30@yahoo.co.in

Resonant excitation of terahertz (THz) radiation by nonlinear mixing of two lasers in a ripple-free self created plasma channel is investigated. The channel has a transverse static magnetic field and supports a THz X-mode with phase velocity close to the speed of light in vacuum when the frequency of the mode is close to plasma frequency on the channel axis and its value decreases with the intensity of lasers. The THz is resonantly driven by the laser beat wave ponderomotive force. The THz amplitude scales almost three half power of the intensity of lasers as the width of the THzmore » eigen mode shrinks with laser intensity.« less

Studies of the linear and nonlinear properties of Alfvén waves in LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy; Dorfman, Seth; Gekelman, Walter; Tripathi, Shreekrishna; van Compernolle, Bart; Vincena, Steve; Rossi, Giovanni; Jenko, Frank

2015-11-01

An overview will be given of recent experimental research into linear and nonlinear properties of Alfvén waves in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD). The nonlinear three-wave interaction process at the heart of the parametric decay instability is studied by launching counter-propagating Alfvén waves from antennas placed at either end of LAPD, producing a damped ion acoustic mode. The decay of a lone, large amplitude Alfvén wave has been observed, producing co-propagating daughter waves with characteristics consistent with kinetic Alfvén waves. The process has an amplitude threshold and the frequency of the daughter modes varies with the amplitude of the pump. A new plasma source based on LaB6 cathode has been added to LAPD, enabling much higher density (x50), electron temperature (x2) and ion temperature (x6). This provides the opportunity to study the physics of waves and instabilities with space and astrophysically relevant β. Topics under investigation include the physics of Alfvén waves in increased β plasmas, electromagnetic effects in drift-Alfvén wave turbulence and the excitation of ion-temperature-anisotropy driven modes such as the mirror and firehose. Supported by NSF and DOE.

Modeling of the Dynamics of Radio Wave Reflection and Absorption in a Smoothly Ionomogeneous Plasma with Electromagnetically Driven Strong Langmuir Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochetov, A. V.

2018-05-01

This work was initiated by experiments on studying the self-action of radio waves incident on the ionosphere from a ground-based transmitter at the stage of electromagnetic excitation of Langmuir turbulence (Langmuir effect). The emphasis is on the impact of "self-consistent" collisionless absorption of radio waves by the Langmuir turbulence, which develops when the incident-wave field swells in the resonant region of a smoothly inhomogeneous plasma, on the dynamics of the radio wave reflection. Electrodynamic characteristics of the nonlinear-plasma layer, which has a linear unperturbed profile of the plasma density, with different features of the absorption development are obtained for a high intensity of the incident radiation. Calculations of "soft" and "hard" regimes of the absorption occurrence, as well as hysteresis modes in which the damping switch-on and off thresholds differ several times, are carried out. The algorithms we devised and the results of the study can serve as the basis for a more adequate and more detailed numerical simulation for interpretation of the experimental data obtained at the stage of the Langmuir effect in the ionosphere.

Laboratory Studies of the Nonlinear Interactions of Kink-Unstable Flux Ropes and Shear Alfvén Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincena, S. T.; Tripathi, S.; Gekelman, W. N.; DeHaas, T.; Pribyl, P.

2017-12-01

Magnetic flux ropes and shear Alfvén waves occur simultaneously in plasmas ranging from solar prominences, to the solar wind, to planetary magnetospheres. If the flux ropes evolve to become unstable to the kink mode, interactions between the kink oscillations and the shear waves can arise, and may even lead to nonlinear phenomena. Experiments aimed at elucidating such interactions are performed in the upgraded Large Plasma Device at UCLA. Flux ropes are generated using a 20 cm x 20 cm LaB6 cathode-anode discharge (with L = 18 m and β ˜ 0.1.) The ropes are embedded in a larger, otherwise current-free, cylindrical (r = 30cm) ambient plasma produced by a second cathode. Shear Alfvén waves are launched using externally fed antennas having three separate polarizations (azimuthal mode numbers.) The counter-propagating, kink-unstable oscillations and driven shear waves are observed to nonlinearly generate sidebands about the higher, shear wave frequency (evident in power spectra) via three-wave coupling. This is demonstrated though bi-coherence calculations and k-matching. With a fixed kink-mode polarization, a total of six daughter wave patterns are presented. Energy flow is shown to proceed from larger to smaller perpendicular wavelengths. Future work will focus on increasing the plasma beta and wave amplitudes in the quest to observe an evolution to a turbulent state. Work is performed at the US Basic Plasma Science Facility, which is supported by the US Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

Discharge dynamics of self-oriented microplasma coupling between cross adjacent cavities in micro-structure device driven by a bipolar pulse waveform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yaogong; Zhang, Xiaoning; Liu, Lingguang; Zhou, Xuan; Liu, Chunliang; Zhang, Qiaogen

2018-04-01

The excitation dynamics and self-oriented plasma coupling of a micro-structure plasma device with a rectangular cross-section are investigated. The device consists of 7 × 7 microcavity arrays, which are blended into a unity by a 50 μm-thick bulk area above them. The device is operated in argon with a pressure of 200 Torr, driven by a bipolar pulse waveform of 20 kHz. The discharge evolution is characterized by means of electrical measurements and optical emission profiles. It has been found that different emission patterns are observed within microcavities. The formation of these patterns induced by the combined action between the applied electric field and surface deactivation is discussed. The microplasma distribution in some specific regions along the diagonal direction of cavities in the bulk area is observed, and self-oriented microplasma coupling is explored, while the plasma interaction occurred between cross adjacent cavities, contributed by the ionization wave propagation. The velocity of ionization wave propagation is measured to be 1.2 km/s to 3.5 km/s. The exploration of this plasma interaction in the bulk area is of value to applications in electromagnetics and signal processing.

Wavefront-sensor-based electron density measurements for laser-plasma accelerators.

PubMed

Plateau, G R; Matlis, N H; Geddes, C G R; Gonsalves, A J; Shiraishi, S; Lin, C; van Mourik, R A; Leemans, W P

2010-03-01

Characterization of the electron density in laser produced plasmas is presented using direct wavefront analysis of a probe laser beam. The performance of a laser-driven plasma-wakefield accelerator depends on the plasma wavelength and hence on the electron density. Density measurements using a conventional folded-wave interferometer and using a commercial wavefront sensor are compared for different regimes of the laser-plasma accelerator. It is shown that direct wavefront measurements agree with interferometric measurements and, because of the robustness of the compact commercial device, offer greater phase sensitivity and straightforward analysis, improving shot-to-shot plasma density diagnostics.

Wavefront-sensor-based electron density measurements for laser-plasma accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Plateau, Guillaume; Matlis, Nicholas; Geddes, Cameron

2010-02-20

Characterization of the electron density in laser produced plasmas is presented using direct wavefront analysis of a probe laser beam. The performance of a laser-driven plasma-wakefield accelerator depends on the plasma wavelength, hence on the electron density. Density measurements using a conventional folded-wave interferometer and using a commercial wavefront sensor are compared for different regimes of the laser-plasma accelerator. It is shown that direct wavefront measurements agree with interferometric measurements and, because of the robustness of the compact commercial device, have greater phase sensitivity, straightforward analysis, improving shot-to-shot plasma-density diagnostics.

High-harmonic fast magnetosonic wave coupling, propagation, and heating in a spherical torus plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menard, J.; Majeski, R.; Kaita, R.; Ono, M.; Munsat, T.; Stutman, D.; Finkenthal, M.

1999-05-01

A novel rotatable two-strap antenna has been installed in the current drive experiment upgrade (CDX-U) [T. Jones, Ph.D. thesis, Princeton University (1995)] in order to investigate high-harmonic fast wave coupling, propagation, and electron heating as a function of strap angle and strap phasing in a spherical torus plasma. Radio-frequency-driven sheath effects are found to fit antenna loading trends at very low power and become negligible above a few kilowatts. At sufficiently high power, the measured coupling efficiency as a function of strap angle is found to agree favorably with cold plasma wave theory. Far-forward microwave scattering from wave-induced density fluctuations in the plasma core tracks the predicted fast wave loading as the antenna is rotated. Signs of electron heating during rf power injection have been observed in CDX-U with central Thomson scattering, impurity ion spectroscopy, and Langmuir probes. While these initial results appear promising, damping of the fast wave on thermal ions at high ion-cyclotron-harmonic number may compete with electron damping at sufficiently high ion β—possibly resulting in a significantly reduced current drive efficiency and production of a fast ion population. Preliminary results from ray-tracing calculations which include these ion damping effects are presented.

The formation and dissipation of electrostatic shock waves: the role of ion–ion acoustic instabilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wen-shuai; Cai, Hong-bo; Zhu, Shao-ping

2018-05-01

The role of ion–ion acoustic instabilities in the formation and dissipation of collisionless electrostatic shock waves driven by counter-streaming supersonic plasma flows has been investigated via two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The nonlinear evolution of unstable waves and ion velocity distributions has been analyzed in detail. It is found that for electrostatic shocks driven by moderate-velocity flows, longitudinal and oblique ion–ion acoustic instabilities can be excited in the downstream and upstream regions, which lead to thermalization of the transmitted and reflected ions, respectively. For high-velocity flows, oblique ion–ion acoustic instabilities can develop in the overlap layer during the shock formation process and impede the shock formation.

Nonlinear structures and anomalous transport in partially magnetized E×B plasmas

DOE PAGES

Janhunen, Salomon; Smolyakov, Andrei; Chapurin, Oleksandr; ...

2017-12-29

Nonlinear dynamics of the electron-cyclotron instability driven by the electron E x B current in a crossed electric and magnetic field is studied. In the nonlinear regime, the instability proceeds by developing a large amplitude coherent wave driven by the energy input from the fundamental cyclotron resonance. Further evolution shows the formation of the long wavelength envelope akin to the modulational instability. Simultaneously, the ion density shows the development of a high-k content responsible for wave focusing and sharp peaks on the periodic cnoidal wave structure. Here, it is shown that the anomalous electron transport (along the direction of themore » applied electric field) is dominated by the long wavelength part of the turbulent spectrum.« less

Simulations of kinetic electrostatic electron nonlinear (KEEN) waves with variable velocity resolution grids and high-order time-splitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afeyan, Bedros; Casas, Fernando; Crouseilles, Nicolas; Dodhy, Adila; Faou, Erwan; Mehrenberger, Michel; Sonnendrücker, Eric

2014-10-01

KEEN waves are non-stationary, nonlinear, self-organized asymptotic states in Vlasov plasmas. They lie outside the precepts of linear theory or perturbative analysis, unlike electron plasma waves or ion acoustic waves. Steady state, nonlinear constructs such as BGK modes also do not apply. The range in velocity that is strongly perturbed by KEEN waves depends on the amplitude and duration of the ponderomotive force generated by two crossing laser beams, for instance, used to drive them. Smaller amplitude drives manage to devolve into multiple highly-localized vorticlets, after the drive is turned off, and may eventually succeed to coalesce into KEEN waves. Fragmentation once the drive stops, and potential eventual remerger, is a hallmark of the weakly driven cases. A fully formed (more strongly driven) KEEN wave has one dominant vortical core. But it also involves fine scale complex dynamics due to shedding and merging of smaller vortical structures with the main one. Shedding and merging of vorticlets are involved in either case, but at different rates and with different relative importance. The narrow velocity range in which one must maintain sufficient resolution in the weakly driven cases, challenges fixed velocity grid numerical schemes. What is needed is the capability of resolving locally in velocity while maintaining a coarse grid outside the highly perturbed region of phase space. We here report on a new Semi-Lagrangian Vlasov-Poisson solver based on conservative non-uniform cubic splines in velocity that tackles this problem head on. An additional feature of our approach is the use of a new high-order time-splitting scheme which allows much longer simulations per computational effort. This is needed for low amplitude runs. There, global coherent structures take a long time to set up, such as KEEN waves, if they do so at all. The new code's performance is compared to uniform grid simulations and the advantages are quantified. The birth pains associated with weakly driven KEEN waves are captured in these simulations. Canonical KEEN waves with ample drive are also treated using these advanced techniques. They will allow the efficient simulation of KEEN waves in multiple dimensions, which will be tackled next, as well as generalizations to Vlasov-Maxwell codes. These are essential for pursuing the impact of KEEN waves in high energy density plasmas and in inertial confinement fusion applications. More generally, one needs a fully-adaptive grid-in-phase-space method which could handle all small vorticlet dynamics whether pealing off or remerging. Such fully adaptive grids would have to be computed sparsely in order to be viable. This two-velocity grid method is a concrete and fruitful step in that direction. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Theory and Applications of the Vlasov Equation", edited by Francesco Pegoraro, Francesco Califano, Giovanni Manfredi and Philip J. Morrison.

Particle energy distributions and metastable atoms in transient low pressure interpulse microwave plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Shail; Nath Patel, Dudh; Ram Baitha, Anuj; Bhattacharjee, Sudeep

2015-12-01

The electron energies and its distribution function are measured in non-equilibrium transient pulsed microwave plasmas in the interpulse regime using a retarding field electron energy analyzer. The plasmas are driven to different initial conditions by varying the electromagnetic (EM) wave pulse duration, peak power, or the wave frequency. Two cases of wave excitation are investigated: (i) short-pulse (pulse duration, t w ~ 1 μs), high-power (~60 kW) waves of 9.45 GHz and (ii) medium-pulse (t w ~ 20 μs), and moderate power waves of ~3 kW at 2.45 GHz. It is found that high-power, short-duration pulses lead to a significantly different electron energy probability function (EEPF) in the interpulse phase—a Maxwellian with a bump on the tail, although the average energy per pulse (~60 mJ) is maintained the same in the two modes of wave excitation. Electrons with energies  >250 eV are found to exist in the discharge in the both cases. Another subset of experiments is performed to delineate the effect of the wave frequency and the peak power on EEPF. A traveling wave tube (TWT) amplifier based microwave source for generating pulsed plasma (t w  =  230 μs) in a wide frequency range (6-18 GHz) is employed for this purpose. Further experiments on measurements of metastable density using optical emission spectroscopy and ion energy analyzer have been carried out. By tailoring the EEPF of the transient plasma and metastable densities, new applications in plasma processing, chemistry and biology can be realized in the interpulse phase of the discharge.

Plasma Radiation and Acceleration Effectiveness of CME-driven Shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopalswamy, N.; Schmidt, J. M.

2008-05-01

CME-driven shocks are effective radio radiation generators and accelerators for Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs). We present simulated 3 D time-dependent radio maps of second order plasma radiation generated by CME- driven shocks. The CME with its shock is simulated with the 3 D BATS-R-US CME model developed at the University of Michigan. The radiation is simulated using a kinetic plasma model that includes shock drift acceleration of electrons and stochastic growth theory of Langmuir waves. We find that in a realistic 3 D environment of magnetic field and solar wind outflow of the Sun the CME-driven shock shows a detailed spatial structure of the density, which is responsible for the fine structure of type II radio bursts. We also show realistic 3 D reconstructions of the magnetic cloud field of the CME, which is accelerated outward by magnetic buoyancy forces in the diverging magnetic field of the Sun. The CME-driven shock is reconstructed by tomography using the maximum jump in the gradient of the entropy. In the vicinity of the shock we determine the Alfven speed of the plasma. This speed profile controls how steep the shock can grow and how stable the shock remains while propagating away from the Sun. Only a steep shock can provide for an effective particle acceleration.

Plasma radiation and acceleration effectiveness of CME-driven shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Joachim

CME-driven shocks are effective radio radiation generators and accelerators for Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs). We present simulated 3 D time-dependent radio maps of second order plasma radiation generated by CME-driven shocks. The CME with its shock is simulated with the 3 D BATS-R-US CME model developed at the University of Michigan. The radiation is simulated using a kinetic plasma model that includes shock drift acceleration of electrons and stochastic growth theory of Langmuir waves. We find that in a realistic 3 D environment of magnetic field and solar wind outflow of the Sun the CME-driven shock shows a detailed spatial structure of the density, which is responsible for the fine structure of type II radio bursts. We also show realistic 3 D reconstructions of the magnetic cloud field of the CME, which is accelerated outward by magnetic buoyancy forces in the diverging magnetic field of the Sun. The CME-driven shock is reconstructed by tomography using the maximum jump in the gradient of the entropy. In the vicinity of the shock we determine the Alfven speed of the plasma. This speed profile controls how steep the shock can grow and how stable the shock remains while propagating away from the Sun. Only a steep shock can provide for an effective particle acceleration.

Electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves in a nonuniform magnetic field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cartier, S. L.; Dangelo, N.; Merlino, R. L.

1985-01-01

The properties of electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves excited in a single-ended cesium Q machine with a nonuniform magnetic field are described. The electrostatic ion-cyclotron waves are generated in the usual manner by drawing an electron current to a small exciter disk immersed in the plasma column. The parallel and perpendicular (to B) wavelengths and phase velocities are determined by mapping out two-dimensional wave phase contours. The wave frequency f depends on the location of the exciter disk in the nonuniform magnetic field, and propagating waves are only observed in the region where f is approximately greater than fci, where fci is the local ion-cyclotron frequency. The parallel phase velocity is in the direction of the electron drift. From measurements of the plasma properties along the axis, it is inferred that the electron drift velocity is not uniform along the entire current channel. The evidence suggests that the waves begin being excited at that axial position where the critical drift velocity is first exceeded, consistent with a current-driven excitation mechanism.

Flux-driven algebraic damping of m=2 diocotron mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chim, C. Y.; O'Neil, T. M.

2016-10-01

Recent experiments with pure electron plasmas in a Malmberg-Penning trap have observed the algebraic damping of m = 2 diocotron modes. Due to small field asymmetries a low density halo of electrons is transported radially outward from the plasma core, and the mode damping begins when the halo reaches the resonant radius rres, where f = mfE × B (rres) . The damping rate is proportional to the flux of halo particles through the resonant layer. The damping is related to, but distinct from the exponential spatial Landau damping in a linear wave-particle resonance. This poster uses analytic theory and simulations to explain the new flux-driven algebraic damping of the mode. As electrons are swept around the nonlinear ``cat's eye'' orbits of the resonant wave-particle interaction, they form a quadrupole (m = 2) density distribution, which sets up an electric field that acts back on the plasma core. The field causes an E × B drift motion that symmetrizes the core, i.e. damps the m = 2 mode. Supported by NSF Grant PHY-1414570, and DOE Grants DE-SC0002451.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ma, J. Z. G., E-mail: zma@mymail.ciis.edu; Hirose, A.

By adopting Lembége & Pellat’s 2D plasma-sheet model, we investigate the flankward flapping motion and Sunward ballooning propagation driven by an external source (e.g., magnetic reconnection) produced initially at the sheet center. Within the ideal MHD framework, we adopt the WKB approximation to obtain the Taylor–Goldstein equation of magnetic perturbations. Fourier spectral method and Runge–Kutta method are employed in numerical simulations, respectively, under the flapping and ballooning conditions. Studies expose that the magnetic shears in the sheet are responsible for the flapping waves, while the magnetic curvature and the plasma gradient are responsible for the ballooning waves. In addition, themore » flapping motion has three phases in its temporal development: fast damping phase, slow recovery phase, and quasi-stabilized phase; it is also characterized by two patterns in space: propagating wave pattern and standing wave pattern. Moreover, the ballooning modes are gradually damped toward the Earth, with a wavelength in a scale size of magnetic curvature or plasma inhomogeneity, only 1–7% of the flapping one; the envelops of the ballooning waves are similar to that of the observed bursty bulk flows moving toward the Earth.« less

Loop heating by D.C. electric current and electromagnetic wave emissions simulated by 3-D EM particle zone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sakai, J. I.; Zhao, J.; Nishikawa, K.-I.

1994-01-01

We have shown that a current-carrying plasma loop can be heated by magnetic pinch driven by the pressure imbalance between inside and outside the loop, using a 3-dimensional electromagnetic (EM) particle code. Both electrons and ions in the loop can be heated in the direction perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field, therefore the perpendicular temperature can be increased about 10 times compared with the parallel temperature. This temperature anisotropy produced by the magnetic pinch heating can induce a plasma instability, by which high-frequency electromagnetic waves can be excited. The plasma current which is enhanced by the magnetic pinch can also excite a kinetic kink instability, which can heat ions perpendicular to the magnetic field. The heating mechanism of ions as well as the electromagnetic emission could be important for an understanding of the coronal loop heating and the electromagnetic wave emissions from active coronal regions.

Short-wavelength plasma turbulence and temperature anisotropy instabilities: Recent computational progress

DOE PAGES

Gary, S. Peter

2015-04-06

Plasma turbulence consists of an ensemble of enhanced, broadband electromagnetic fluctuations, typically driven by multi-wave interactions which transfer energy in wavevector space via non- linear cascade processes. In addition, temperature anisotropy instabilities in collisionless plasmas are driven by quasi-linear wave–particle interactions which transfer particle kinetic energy to field fluctuation energy; the resulting enhanced fluctuations are typically narrowband in wavevector magnitude and direction. Whatever their sources, short-wavelength fluctuations are those at which charged particle kinetic, that is, velocity-space, properties are important; these are generally wavelengths of the order of or shorter than the ion inertial length or the thermal ion gyroradius.more » The purpose of this review is to summarize and interpret recent computational results concerning short-wavelength plasma turbulence, short-wavelength temperature anisotropy instabilities and relationships between the two phenomena.« less

Wave Interactions and Fluid Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Craik, Alex D. D.

1988-07-01

This up-to-date and comprehensive account of theory and experiment on wave-interaction phenomena covers fluids both at rest and in their shear flows. It includes, on the one hand, water waves, internal waves, and their evolution, interaction, and associated wave-driven means flow and, on the other hand, phenomena on nonlinear hydrodynamic stability, especially those leading to the onset of turbulence. This study provide a particularly valuable bridge between these two similar, yet different, classes of phenomena. It will be of value to oceanographers, meteorologists, and those working in fluid mechanics, atmospheric and planetary physics, plasma physics, aeronautics, and geophysical and astrophysical fluid dynamics.

Ion source with external RF antenna

DOEpatents

Leung, Ka-Ngo; Ji, Qing; Wilde, Stephen

2005-12-13

A radio frequency (RF) driven plasma ion source has an external RF antenna, i.e. the RF antenna is positioned outside the plasma generating chamber rather than inside. The RF antenna is typically formed of a small diameter metal tube coated with an insulator. An external RF antenna assembly is used to mount the external RF antenna to the ion source. The RF antenna tubing is wound around the external RF antenna assembly to form a coil. The external RF antenna assembly is formed of a material, e.g. quartz, which is essentially transparent to the RF waves. The external RF antenna assembly is attached to and forms a part of the plasma source chamber so that the RF waves emitted by the RF antenna enter into the inside of the plasma chamber and ionize a gas contained therein. The plasma ion source is typically a multi-cusp ion source.

Ion heating and short wavelength fluctuations in a helicon plasma source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scime, E. E.; Carr, J. Jr.; Galante, M.

2013-03-15

For typical helicon source parameters, the driving antenna can couple to two plasma modes; the weakly damped 'helicon' wave, and the strongly damped, short wavelength, slow wave. Here, we present direct measurements, obtained with two different techniques, of few hundred kHz, short wavelength fluctuations that are parametrically driven by the primary antenna and localized to the edge of the plasma. The short wavelength fluctuations appear for plasma source parameters such that the driving frequency is approximately equal to the lower hybrid frequency. Measurements of the steady-state ion temperature and fluctuation amplitude radial profiles suggest that the anomalously high ion temperaturesmore » observed at the edge of helicon sources result from damping of the short wavelength fluctuations. Additional measurements of the time evolution of the ion temperature and fluctuation profiles in pulsed helicon source plasmas support the same conclusion.« less

Development of a tactical high-power microwave source using the Plasma Electron Microwave Source (PEMS) concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dandl, R. A.; Guest, G. E.; Jory, H. R.

1990-12-01

The AMPHED facility was used to perform feasibility experiments to explore the generation of high-power microwave pulses from energy stored in a magnetic mirror plasma. The facility uses an open-ended magnetic mirror driven by pulsed or cw c- and x-band sources. Microwave horns were constructed to couple in the frequency range of 2.4 to 4 GHz to whistler waves in the plasma. Spontaneous bursts of microwave radiation in the range of 3 to 5 GHz were observed in the experiments. But the power levels were lower than expected for the whistler wave interaction. It is probable that the hot-electron energy densities achieved were not high enough to approach the threshold of the desired interaction.

A transverse separate-spin-evolution streaming instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, Z.; Andreev, Pavel A.; Murtaza, G.

2018-05-01

By using the separate spin evolution quantum hydrodynamical model, the instability of transverse mode due to electron streaming in a partially spin polarized magnetized degenerate plasma is studied. The electron spin polarization gives birth to a new spin-dependent wave (i.e., separate spin evolution streaming driven ordinary wave) in the real wave spectrum. It is shown that the spin polarization and streaming speed significantly affect the frequency of this new mode. Analyzing growth rate, it is found that the electron spin effects reduce the growth rate and shift the threshold of instability as well as its termination point towards higher values. Additionally, how the other parameters like electron streaming and Fermi pressure influence the growth rate is also investigated. Current study can help towards better understanding of the existence of new waves and streaming instability in the astrophysical plasmas.

Generation of noninductive current by electron-Bernstein waves on the COMPASS-D Tokamak.

PubMed

Shevchenko, V; Baranov, Y; O'Brien, M; Saveliev, A

2002-12-23

Electron-Bernstein waves (EBW) were excited in the plasma by mode converted extraordinary (X) waves launched from the high field side of the COMPASS-D tokamak at different toroidal angles. It has been found experimentally that X-mode injection perpendicular to the magnetic field provides maximum heating efficiency. Noninductive currents of up to 100 kA were found to be driven by the EBW mode with countercurrent drive. These results are consistent with ray tracing and quasilinear Fokker-Planck simulations.

Hybrid simulations of radial transport driven by the Rayleigh-Taylor instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delamere, P. A.; Stauffer, B. H.; Ma, X.

2017-12-01

Plasma transport in the rapidly rotating giant magnetospheres is thought to involve a centrifugally-driven flux tube interchange instability, similar to the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability. In three dimensions, the convective flow patterns associated with the RT instability can produce strong guide field reconnection, allowing plasma mass to move radially outward while conserving magnetic flux (Ma et al., 2016). We present a set of hybrid (kinetic ion / fluid electron) plasma simulations of the RT instability using high plasma beta conditions appropriate for Jupiter's inner and middle magnetosphere. A density gradient, combined with a centrifugal force, provide appropriate RT onset conditions. Pressure balance is achieved by initializing two ion populations: one with fixed temperature, but varying density, and the other with fixed density, but a temperature gradient that offsets the density gradient from the first population and the centrifugal force (effective gravity). We first analyze two-dimensional results for the plane perpendicular to the magnetic field by comparing growth rates as a function of wave vector following Huba et al. (1998). Prescribed perpendicular wave modes are seeded with an initial velocity perturbation. We then extend the model to three dimensions, introducing a stabilizing parallel wave vector. Boundary conditions in the parallel direction prohibit motion of the magnetic field line footprints to model the eigenmodes of the magnetodisc's resonant cavity. We again compare growth rates based on perpendicular wave number, but also on the parallel extent of the resonant cavity, which fixes the size of the largest parallel wavelength. Finally, we search for evidence of strong guide field magnetic reconnection within the domain by identifying areas with large parallel electric fields or changes in magnetic field topology.

C/NOFS Satellite Electric Field and Plasma Density Observations of Plasma Instabilities Below the Equatorial F-Peak -- Evidence for Approximately 500 km-Scale Spread-F "Precursor" Waves Driven by Zonal Shear Flow and km-Scale, Narrow-Banded Irregularities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, R.; Freudenreich, H.; Klenzing, J.; Liebrecht, C.; Valladares, C.

2011-01-01

As solar activity has increased, the ionosphere F-peak has been elevated on numerous occasions above the C/NOFS satellite perigee of 400km. In particular, during the month of April, 2011, the satellite consistently journeyed below the F-peak whenever the orbit was in the region of the South Atlantic anomaly after sunset. During these passes, data from the electric field and plasma density probes on the satellite have revealed two types of instabilities which had not previously been observed in the C/NOFS data set (to our knowledge): The first is evidence for 400-500km-scale bottomside "undulations" that appear in the density and electric field data. In one case, these large scale waves are associated with a strong shear in the zonal E x B flow, as evidenced by variations in the meridional (outward) electric fields observed above and below the F-peak. These undulations are devoid of smaller scale structures in the early evening, yet appear at later local times along the same orbit associated with fully-developed spread-F with smaller scale structures. This suggests that they may be precursor waves for spread-F, driven by a collisional shear instability, following ideas advanced previously by researchers using data from the Jicamarca radar. A second new result (for C/NOFS) is the appearance of km-scale irregularities that are a common feature in the electric field and plasma density data that also appear when the satellite is below the F -peak at night. The vector electric field instrument on C/NOFS clearly shows that the electric field component of these waves is strongest in the zonal direction. These waves are strongly correlated with simultaneous observations of plasma density oscillations and appear both with, and without, evidence of larger-scale spread-F depletions. These km-scale, quasi-coherent waves strongly resemble the bottomside, sinusoidal irregularities reported in the Atmosphere Explorer satellite data set by Valladares et al. [JGR, 88, 8025, 1983]. We interpret these new observations in terms of fundamental plasma instabilities associated with the unstable, nighttime equatorial ionosphere.

Effect of electron-to-ion mass ratio on radial electric field generation in tokamak

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Zhenqian; Dong, Jiaqi; Sheng, Zhengmao

Generation of coherent radial electric fields in plasma by drift-wave turbulence driven by plasma inhomogeneities is ab initio studied using gyro-kinetic particle simulation for conditions of operational tokamaks. In particular, the effect of the electron-to-ion mass ratio epsilon on the entire evolution of the plasma is considered. In conclusion, it is found that the electric field can be increased, and the turbulence-induced particle transport reduced, by making epsilon smaller, in agreement with many existing experimental observations.

Langmuir turbulence driven by beams in solar wind plasmas with long wavelength density fluctuations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krafft, C., E-mail: catherine.krafft@u-psud.fr; Universite´ Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex; Volokitin, A., E-mail: a.volokitin@mail.ru

2016-03-25

The self-consistent evolution of Langmuir turbulence generated by electron beams in solar wind plasmas with density inhomogeneities is calculated by numerical simulations based on a 1D Hamiltonian model. It is shown, owing to numerical simulations performed with parameters relevant to type III solar bursts’ conditions at 1 AU, that the presence of long-wavelength random density fluctuations of sufficiently large average level crucially modifies the well-known process of beam interaction with Langmuir waves in homogeneous plasmas.

Effect of electron-to-ion mass ratio on radial electric field generation in tokamak

DOE PAGES

Li, Zhenqian; Dong, Jiaqi; Sheng, Zhengmao; ...

2017-11-21

Generation of coherent radial electric fields in plasma by drift-wave turbulence driven by plasma inhomogeneities is ab initio studied using gyro-kinetic particle simulation for conditions of operational tokamaks. In particular, the effect of the electron-to-ion mass ratio epsilon on the entire evolution of the plasma is considered. In conclusion, it is found that the electric field can be increased, and the turbulence-induced particle transport reduced, by making epsilon smaller, in agreement with many existing experimental observations.

Shuttle Orbiter tethered subsatellite for exploring and tapping space plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, P. M.; Williamson, P. R.; Oyama, K. I.

1981-01-01

Consideration is given to the possibilities for studies in space plasma physics offered by a subsatellite mechanically tethered above the Space Shuttle Orbiter by a long conducting wire. The proposed experiment, designated the Shuttle Electrodynamic Tether Systems (SETS) is based on the concept of collecting electrons at the subsatellite and ejecting them from the Orbiter, made possible by the emf generated by the motion of the tether across geomagnetic field lines. The power generated in this manner can be used both for practical purposes within the Orbiter and for the creation of large-amplitude plasma and electromagnetic waves within the surrounding plasma. For a conducting spherical subsatellite 30 m in diameter with a 10-km tether drawing 1 A, calculations show that emfs on the order of 1000-2000 V and energy dissipation of as much as 10,000 W can be obtained, accompanied by the generation of two regions of net electric charge in the ionosphere. Scientific studies considered for SETS include the measurement of MHD waves artificially generated in the ionosphere, the investigation of current-driven plasma instabilities, VLF wave generation and the simulation of electrodynamics associated with the motion of celestial bodies through plasma.

A theoretical investigation on the parametric instability excited by X-mode polarized electromagnetic wave at Tromsø

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiang; Cannon, Patrick; Zhou, Chen; Honary, Farideh; Ni, Binbin; Zhao, Zhengyu

2016-04-01

Recent ionospheric modification experiments performed at Tromsø, Norway, have indicated that X-mode pump wave is capable of stimulating high-frequency enhanced plasma lines, which manifests the excitation of parametric instability. This paper investigates theoretically how the observation can be explained by the excitation of parametric instability driven by X-mode pump wave. The threshold of the parametric instability has been calculated for several recent experimental observations at Tromsø, illustrating that our derived equations for the excitation of parametric instability for X-mode heating can explain the experimental observations. According to our theoretical calculation, a minimum fraction of pump wave electric field needs to be directed along the geomagnetic field direction in order for the parametric instability threshold to be met. A full-wave finite difference time domain simulation has been performed to demonstrate that a small parallel component of pump wave electric field can be achieved during X-mode heating in the presence of inhomogeneous plasma.

Nonlinear Excitation of Acoustic Modes by Large Amplitude Alfvén waves in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorfman, S. E.; Carter, T. A.; Pribyl, P.; Tripathi, S.; Van Compernolle, B.; Vincena, S. T.; Sydora, R. D.

2013-12-01

Alfvén waves, a fundamental mode of magnetized plasmas, are ubiquitous in space plasmas. While the linear behavior of these waves has been extensively studied [1], non-linear effects are important in many real systems, including the solar corona and solar wind. In particular, a parametric decay process in which a large amplitude Alfvén wave decays into an ion acoustic wave and backward propagating Alfvén wave may play an important role in the coronal heating problem. Specifically, the decay of large-amplitude Alfvén waves propagating outward from the photosphere could lead to heating of the corona by the daughter ion acoustic modes [2]. As direct observational evidence of parametric decay is limited [3], laboratory experiments may play an important role in validating simple theoretical predictions and aiding in the interpretation of space measurements. Recent counter-propagating Alfvén wave experiments in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) have recorded the first laboratory observation of the Alfvén-acoustic mode coupling at the heart of this parametric decay instability [4]. A resonance in the beat wave response produced by the two launched Alfvén waves is observed and is identified as a damped ion acoustic mode based on the measured dispersion relation. Other properties of the interaction including the spatial profile of the beat mode and response amplitude are also consistent with theoretical predictions for a three-wave interaction driven by a nonlinear ponderomotive force. Strong damping observed after the pump Alfvén waves are turned off is under investigation; a novel ion acoustic wave launcher is under development to launch the mode directly for damping studies. New experiments also aim to identify decay instabilities from a single large-amplitude Alfvén wave. In conjunction with these experiments, gyrokinetic simulation efforts are underway to scope out the relevant parameter space. [1] W. Gekelman, et. al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 055501 (2011). [2] F. Pruneti, F and M. Velli, ESA Spec. Pub. 404, 623 (1997). [3] S. R. Spangler, et. al., Phys. Plasmas 4, 846 (1997). [4] S. Dorfman and T. Carter, Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 195001 (2013).

Sheared-flow induced confinement transition in a linear magnetized plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, S.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Boehmer, H.; McWilliams, R.; Carter, T. A.; Vincena, S.; Friedman, B.; Schaffner, D.

2012-01-01

A magnetized plasma cylinder (12 cm in diameter) is induced by an annular shape obstacle at the Large Plasma Device [W. Gekelman, H. Pfister, Z. Lucky, J. Bamber, D. Leneman, and J. Maggs, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 62, 2875 (1991)]. Sheared azimuthal flow is driven at the edge of the plasma cylinder through edge biasing. Strong fluctuations of density and potential (δn /n~eδφ/kTe~0.5) are observed at the plasma edge, accompanied by a large density gradient (Ln=|∇lnn |-1~2cm) and shearing rate (γ ~300kHz). Edge turbulence and cross-field transport are modified by changing the bias voltage (Vbias) on the obstacle and the axial magnetic field (Bz) strength. In cases with low Vbias and large Bz, improved plasma confinement is observed, along with steeper edge density gradients. The radially sheared flow induced by E ×B drift dramatically changes the cross-phase between density and potential fluctuations, which causes the wave-induced particle flux to reverse its direction across the shear layer. In cases with higher bias voltage or smaller Bz, large radial transport and rapid depletion of the central plasma density are observed. Two-dimensional cross-correlation measurement shows that a mode with azimuthal mode number m =1 and large radial correlation length dominates the outward transport in these cases. Linear analysis based on a two-fluid Braginskii model suggests that the fluctuations are driven by both density gradient (drift wave like) and flow shear (Kelvin-Helmholtz like) at the plasma edge.

Evidence of a New Instability in Gyrokinetic Simulations of LAPD Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terry, P. W.; Pueschel, M. J.; Rossi, G.; Jenko, F.; Told, D.; Carter, T. A.

2015-11-01

Recent experiments at the LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) have focused on structure formation driven by density and temperature gradients. A central difference relative to typical, tokamak-like plasmas stems from the linear geometry and absence of background magnetic shear. At sufficiently high β, strong excitation of parallel (compressional) magnetic fluctuations was observed. Here, linear and nonlinear simulations with the Gene code are used to demonstrate that these findings can be explained through the linear excitation of a Gradient-driven Drift Coupling mode (GDC). This recently-discovered instability, unlike other drift waves, relies on the grad-B drift due to parallel magnetic fluctuations in lieu of a parallel electron response, and can be driven by density or temperature gradients. The linear properties of the GDC for LAPD parameters are studied in detail, and the corresponding turbulence is investigated. It is found that, despite the very large collisionality in the experiment, many properties are recovered fairly well in the simulations. In addition to confirming the existence of the GDC, this opens up interesting questions regarding GDC activity in astrophysical and space plasmas. Supported by USDOE.

A generalized semikinetic (GSK) model for mesoscale auroral plasma transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, David Gillespie

1993-12-01

The auroral region of the Earth's ionosphere-magnetosphere system is a complex and active part of the Earth's environment. In order to study the transport of ionospheric plasma in this region, we have developed a generalized semikinetic (GSK) model which combines the tracking of ionospheric ion gyrocenters (between stochastic impulses from waves), with a generalized fluid treatment of ionospheric electrons and Liouville mapping of magnetospheric plasma components. This model has been used to simulate the effects of 'self-consistent' heating ('self consistent' in the sense that heating occurs only where the modelled plasma is unstable) due to the current-driven ion cyclotron instability in the return current regions. Our results include generation of 'conics' whose wings are drawn in towards the upsilon(parallel)-axis at higher energies (such distributions were subsequently found in recent studies of DE-1 data for this region) and an alternative formation mechanism for toroidal (or 'ring'-shaped) ion velocity-space distributions. We also present results illustrating the effects of combining large scale electric fields (generated by anisotropic magnetospheric plasma distributions) with wave heating by a presumed distribution of wave spectra. In the presence of an upwards electric field the addition of wave heating increases the density of the O(sup +) 'beam' ('ion feeder' effect), while a downwards hot plasma-induced electric field increases the time which ions spend within the heating region ('pressure cooker' effect), resulting in greater ion energization.

Solar wind interaction with dusty plasmas produces instabilities and solitary structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleem, H.; Ali, S.

2017-12-01

It is pointed out that the solar wind interaction with dusty magnetospheres of the planets can give rise to purely growing instabilities as well as nonlinear electric field structures. Linear dispersion relation of the low frequency electrostatic ion-acoustic wave (IAW) is modified in the presence of stationary dust and its frequency becomes larger than its frequency in usual electron ion plasma even if ion temperature is equal to the electron temperature. This dust-ion-acoustic wave (DIAW) either becomes a purely growing electrostatic instability or turns out to be the modified dust-ion-acoustic wave (mDIAW) depending upon the magnitude of shear flow scale length and its direction. Growth rate of shear flow-driven electrostatic instability in a plasma having negatively charged stationary dust is larger than the usual D'Angelo instability of electron-ion plasma. It is shown that shear modified dust ion acoustic wave (mDIAW) produces electrostatic solitons in the nonlinear regime. The fluid theory predicts the existence of electrostatic solitons in the dusty plasmas in those regions where the inhomogeneous solar wind flow is parallel to the planetary or cometary magnetic field lines. The amplitude and width of the solitary structure depends upon dust density and magnitude of shear in the flow. This is a general theoretical model which is applied to dusty plasma of Saturn's F-ring for illustration.

Trapped electron mode turbulence driven intrinsic rotation in Tokamak plasmas.

PubMed

Wang, W X; Hahm, T S; Ethier, S; Zakharov, L E; Diamond, P H

2011-02-25

Progress from global gyrokinetic simulations in understanding the origin of intrinsic rotation in toroidal plasmas is reported. The turbulence-driven intrinsic torque associated with nonlinear residual stress generation due to zonal flow shear induced asymmetry in the parallel wave number spectrum is shown to scale close to linearly with plasma gradients and the inverse of the plasma current, qualitatively reproducing experimental empirical scalings of intrinsic rotation. The origin of current scaling is found to be enhanced k(∥) symmetry breaking induced by the increased radial variation of the safety factor as the current decreases. The intrinsic torque is proportional to the pressure gradient because both turbulence intensity and zonal flow shear, which are two key ingredients for driving residual stress, increase with turbulence drive, which is R/L(T(e)) and R/L(n(e)) for the trapped electron mode. © 2011 American Physical Society

Extending geometrical optics: A Lagrangian theory for vector waves

DOE PAGES

Ruiz, D. E.; Dodin, I. Y.

2017-03-16

Even when neglecting diffraction effects, the well-known equations of geometrical optics (GO) are not entirely accurate. Traditional GO treats wave rays as classical particles, which are completely described by their coordinates and momenta, but vector-wave rays have another degree of freedom, namely, their polarization. The polarization degree of freedom manifests itself as an effective (classical) “wave spin” that can be assigned to rays and can affect the wave dynamics accordingly. A well-known manifestation of polarization dynamics is mode conversion, which is the linear exchange of quanta between different wave modes and can be interpreted as a rotation of the wavemore » spin. Another, less-known polarization effect is the polarization-driven bending of ray trajectories. Here, this work presents an extension and reformulation of GO as a first-principle Lagrangian theory, whose effective Hamiltonian governs the aforementioned polarization phenomena simultaneously. As an example, the theory is applied to describe the polarization-driven divergence of right-hand and left-hand circularly polarized electromagnetic waves in weakly magnetized plasma.« less

Extending geometrical optics: A Lagrangian theory for vector waves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ruiz, D. E.; Dodin, I. Y.

Even when neglecting diffraction effects, the well-known equations of geometrical optics (GO) are not entirely accurate. Traditional GO treats wave rays as classical particles, which are completely described by their coordinates and momenta, but vector-wave rays have another degree of freedom, namely, their polarization. The polarization degree of freedom manifests itself as an effective (classical) “wave spin” that can be assigned to rays and can affect the wave dynamics accordingly. A well-known manifestation of polarization dynamics is mode conversion, which is the linear exchange of quanta between different wave modes and can be interpreted as a rotation of the wavemore » spin. Another, less-known polarization effect is the polarization-driven bending of ray trajectories. Here, this work presents an extension and reformulation of GO as a first-principle Lagrangian theory, whose effective Hamiltonian governs the aforementioned polarization phenomena simultaneously. As an example, the theory is applied to describe the polarization-driven divergence of right-hand and left-hand circularly polarized electromagnetic waves in weakly magnetized plasma.« less

Anomalous pinch of turbulent plasmas driven by the magnetic-drift-induced Lorentz force through the Stokes-Einstein relation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Shaojie, E-mail: wangsj@ustc.edu.cn

It is found that the Lorentz force generated by the magnetic drift drives a generic plasma pinch flux of particle, energy and momentum through the Stokes-Einstein relation. The proposed theoretical model applies for both electrons and ions, trapped particles, and passing particles. An anomalous parallel current pinch due to the electrostatic turbulence with long parallel wave-length is predicted.

Small-scale plasma, magnetic, and neutral density fluctuations in the nightside Venus ionosphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoegy, W.R.; Brace, L.H.; Kasprazak, W.T.

1990-04-01

Pioneer Venus orbiter measurements have shown that coherent small-scale waves exist in the electron density, the electron temperature, and the magnetic field in the lower ionosphere of Venus just downstream of the solar terminator (Brace et al., 1983). The waves become less regular and less coherent at larger solar zenith angles, and Brace et al. suggested that these structures may have evolved from the terminator waves as they are convected into the nightside ionosphere, driven by the day-to-night plasma pressure gradient. In this paper the authors describe the changes in wave characteristics with solar zenith angle and show that themore » neutral gas also has related wave characteristics, probably because of atmospheric gravity waves. The plasma pressure exceeds the magnetic pressure in the nightside ionosphere at these altitudes, and thus the magnetic field is carried along and controlled by the turbulent motion of the plasma, but the wavelike nature of the thermosphere may also be coupled to the plasma and magnetic structure. They show that there is a significant coherence between the ionosphere, thermosphere, and magnetic parameters at altitudes below about 185 km, a coherence which weakens in the antisolar region. The electron temperature and density are approximately 180{degree} out of phase and consistently exhibit the highest correlation of any pair of variables. Waves in the electron and neutral densities are moderately correlated on most orbits, but with a phase difference that varies within each orbit. The average electron temperature is higher when the average magnetic field is more horizontal; however, the correlation between temperature and dip angle does not extend to individual wave structures observed within a satellite pass, particularly in the antisolar region.« less

The Association of Myosin IB with Actin Waves in Dictyostelium Requires Both the Plasma Membrane-Binding Site and Actin-Binding Region in the Myosin Tail

PubMed Central

Brzeska, Hanna; Pridham, Kevin; Chery, Godefroy; Titus, Margaret A.; Korn, Edward D.

2014-01-01

F-actin structures and their distribution are important determinants of the dynamic shapes and functions of eukaryotic cells. Actin waves are F-actin formations that move along the ventral cell membrane driven by actin polymerization. Dictyostelium myosin IB is associated with actin waves but its role in the wave is unknown. Myosin IB is a monomeric, non-filamentous myosin with a globular head that binds to F-actin and has motor activity, and a non-helical tail comprising a basic region, a glycine-proline-glutamine-rich region and an SH3-domain. The basic region binds to acidic phospholipids in the plasma membrane through a short basic-hydrophobic site and the Gly-Pro-Gln region binds F-actin. In the current work we found that both the basic-hydrophobic site in the basic region and the Gly-Pro-Gln region of the tail are required for the association of myosin IB with actin waves. This is the first evidence that the Gly-Pro-Gln region is required for localization of myosin IB to a specific actin structure in situ. The head is not required for myosin IB association with actin waves but binding of the head to F-actin strengthens the association of myosin IB with waves and stabilizes waves. Neither the SH3-domain nor motor activity is required for association of myosin IB with actin waves. We conclude that myosin IB contributes to anchoring actin waves to the plasma membranes by binding of the basic-hydrophobic site to acidic phospholipids in the plasma membrane and binding of the Gly-Pro-Gln region to F-actin in the wave. PMID:24747353

Particle simulation of electromagnetic emissions from electrostatic instability driven by an electron ring beam on the density gradient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horký, Miroslav; Omura, Yoshiharu; Santolík, Ondřej

2018-04-01

This paper presents the wave mode conversion between electrostatic and electromagnetic waves on the plasma density gradient. We use 2-D electromagnetic code KEMPO2 implemented with the generation of density gradient to simulate such a conversion process. In the dense region, we use ring beam instability to generate electron Bernstein waves and we study the temporal evolution of wave spectra, velocity distributions, Poynting flux, and electric and magnetic energies to observe the wave mode conversion. Such a conversion process can be a source of electromagnetic emissions which are routinely measured by spacecraft on the plasmapause density gradient.

Numerical study of nonequilibrium plasma assisted detonation initiation in detonation tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Siyin; Wang, Fang; Che, Xueke; Nie, Wansheng

2016-12-01

Nonequilibrium plasma has shown great merits in ignition and combustion nowadays, which should be especially useful for hypersonic propulsion. A coaxial electrodes configuration was established to investigate the effect of alternating current (AC) dielectric barrier discharge nonequilibrium plasma on the detonation initiation process in a hydrogen-oxygen mixture. A discharge simulation-combustion simulation loosely coupled method was used to simulate plasma assisted detonation initiation. First, the dielectric barrier discharge in the hydrogen-oxygen mixture driven by an AC voltage was simulated, which takes 17 kinds of particles (including positively charged particles, negatively charged particles, and neutral particles) and 47 reactions into account. The temporal and spatial characteristics of the discharge products were obtained. Then, the discharge products were incorporated into the combustion model of a detonation combustor as the initial conditions for the later detonation initiation simulation. Results showed that the number density distributions of plasma species are different in space and time, and develop highly nonuniformly from high voltage electrode to grounded electrode at certain times. All the active species reach their highest concentration at approximately 0.6T (T denotes a discharge cycle). Compared with the no plasma case, the differences of flowfield shape mainly appear in the early stage of the deflagration to detonation transition process. None of the sub-processes (including the very slow combustion, deflagration, over-driven detonation, detonation decay, and propagation of a self-sustained stable detonation wave) have been removed by the plasma. After the formation of a C-J detonation wave, the whole flowfield remains unchanged. With the help of plasma, the deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) time and distance are reduced by about 11.6% and 12.9%, respectively, which should be attributed to the active particles effect of nonequilibrium plasma and the local turbulent enhancing effect by the spatial characteristics of discharge. In addition, as the duration of forming a shock wave in the combustor is shortened by approximately 8.1%, it can be inferred that the plasma accelerates the DDT process more significantly before the flow becomes supersonic.

Nonlinear Electrostatic Steepening of Whistler Waves: The Guiding Factors and Dynamics in Inhomogeneous Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agapitov, O.; Drake, J. F.; Vasko, I.; Mozer, F. S.; Artemyev, A.; Krasnoselskikh, V.; Angelopoulos, V.; Wygant, J.; Reeves, G. D.

2018-03-01

Whistler mode chorus waves are particularly important in outer radiation belt dynamics due to their key role in controlling the acceleration and scattering of electrons over a very wide energy range. The efficiency of wave-particle resonant interactions is defined by whistler wave properties which have been described by the approximation of plane linear waves propagating through the cold plasma of the inner magnetosphere. However, recent observations of extremely high-amplitude whistlers suggest the importance of nonlinear wave-particle interactions for the dynamics of the outer radiation belt. Oblique chorus waves observed in the inner magnetosphere often exhibit drastically nonsinusoidal (with significant power in the higher harmonics) waveforms of the parallel electric field, presumably due to the feedback from hot resonant electrons. We have considered the nature and properties of such nonlinear whistler waves observed by the Van Allen Probes and Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions define during Substorms in the inner magnetosphere, and we show that the significant enhancement of the wave electrostatic component can result from whistler wave coupling with the beam-driven electrostatic mode through the resonant interaction with hot electron beams. Being modulated by a whistler wave, the electron beam generates a driven electrostatic mode significantly enhancing the parallel electric field of the initial whistler wave. We confirm this mechanism using a self-consistent particle-in-cell simulation. The nonlinear electrostatic component manifests properties of the beam-driven electron acoustic mode and can be responsible for effective electron acceleration in the inhomogeneous magnetic field.

Simulation of plasma double-layer structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borovsky, J. E.; Joyce, G.

1982-01-01

Electrostatic plasma double layers are numerically simulated by means of a magnetized 2 1/2 dimensional particle in cell method. The investigation of planar double layers indicates that these one dimensional potential structures are susceptible to periodic disruption by instabilities in the low potential plasmas. Only a slight increase in the double layer thickness with an increase in its obliqueness to the magnetic field is observed. Weak magnetization results in the double layer electric field alignment of accelerated particles and strong magnetization results in their magnetic field alignment. The numerical simulations of spatially periodic two dimensional double layers also exhibit cyclical instability. A morphological invariance in two dimensional double layers with respect to the degree of magnetization implies that the potential structures scale with Debye lengths rather than with gyroradii. Electron beam excited electrostatic electron cyclotron waves and (ion beam driven) solitary waves are present in the plasmas adjacent to the double layers.

A New Type of Plasma Wakefield Accelerator Driven By Magnetowaves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Pisin; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Taiwan, Natl. Taiwan U.; Chang, Feng-Yin

2011-09-12

We present a new concept for a plasma wakefield accelerator driven by magnetowaves (MPWA). This concept was originally proposed as a viable mechanism for the 'cosmic accelerator' that would accelerate cosmic particles to ultra-high energies in the astrophysical setting. Unlike the more familiar plasma wakefield accelerator (PWFA) and the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA) where the drivers, the charged-particle beam and the laser, are independently existing entities, MPWA invokes the high-frequency and high-speed whistler mode as the driver, which is a medium wave that cannot exist outside of the plasma. Aside from the difference in drivers, the underlying mechanism that excitesmore » the plasma wakefield via the ponderomotive potential is common. Our computer simulations show that under appropriate conditions, the plasma wakefield maintains very high coherence and can sustain high-gradient acceleration over many plasma wavelengths. We suggest that in addition to its celestial application, the MPWA concept can also be of terrestrial utility. A proof-of-principle experiment on MPWA would benefit both terrestrial and celestial accelerator concepts.« less

MHD Stability of Axisymmetric Plasmas In Closed Line Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simakov, Andrei N.; Catto, Peter J.; Ramos, Jesus J.; Hastie, R. J.

2003-04-01

The stability of axisymmetric plasmas confined by closed poloidal magnetic field lines is considered. The results are relevant to plasmas in the dipolar fields of stars and planets, as well as the Levitated Dipole Experiment, multipoles, Z pinches and field reversed configurations. The ideal MHD energy principle is employed to study stability of pressure driven Alfvén modes. A point dipole is considered in detail to demonstrate that equilibria exist, which are MHD stable for arbitrary beta. Effects of sound waves and plasma resistivity are investigated next for point dipole equilibria by means of resistive MHD theory.

Simulation of electrostatic turbulence in the plasma sheet boundary layer with electron currents and bean-shaped ion beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishikawa, K.-I.; Frank, L. A.; Huang, C. Y.

1988-01-01

Plasma data from ISEE-1 show the presence of electron currents as well as energetic ion beams in the plasma sheet boundary layer. Broadband electrostatic noise and low-frequency electromagnetic bursts are detected in the plasma sheet boundary layer, especially in the presence of strong ion flows, currents, and steep spacial gradients in the fluxes of few-keV electrons and ions. Particle simulations have been performed to investigate electrostatic turbulence driven by a cold electron beam and/or ion beams with a bean-shaped velocity distribution. The simulation results show that the counterstreaming ion beams as well as the counterstreaming of the cold electron beam and the ion beam excite ion acoustic waves with a given Doppler-shifted real frequency. However, the effect of the bean-shaped ion velocity distributions reduces the growth rates of ion acoustic instability. The simulation results also show that the slowing down of the ion bean is larger at the larger perpendicular velocity. The wave spectra of the electric fields at some points of the simulations show turbulence generated by growing waves.

Numerical calculations of non-inductive current driven by microwaves in JET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirov, K. K.; Baranov, Yu; Mailloux, J.; Nave, M. F. F.; Contributors, JET

2016-12-01

Recent studies at JET focus on analysis of the lower hybrid (LH) wave power absorption and current drive (CD) calculations by means of a new ray tracing (RT)/Fokker-Planck (FP) package. The RT code works in real 2D geometry accounting for the plasma boundary and the launcher shape. LH waves with different parallel refractive index, {{N}\\parallel} , spectra in poloidal direction can be launched thus simulating authentic antenna spectrum with rows fed by different combinations of klystrons. Various FP solvers were tested most advanced of which is a relativistic bounce averaged FP code. LH wave power deposition profiles from the new RT/FP code were compared to the experimental results from electron cyclotron emission (ECE) analysis of pulses at 3.4 T low and high density. This kind of direct comparison between power deposition profiles from experimental ECE data and numerical model were carried out for the first time for waves in the LH range of frequencies. The results were in a reasonable agreement with experimental data at lower density, line averaged values of {{n}\\text{e}}≈ 2.4× {{10}19} {{\\text{m}}-3} . At higher density, {{n}\\text{e}}≈ 3× {{10}19} {{\\text{m}}-3} , the code predicted larger on-axis LH power deposition, which is inconsistent with the experimental observations. Both calculations were unable to produce LH wave absorption at the plasma periphery, which contradicts to the analysis of the ECE data and possible sources of these discrepancies have been briefly discussed in the paper. The code was also used to calculate the LH power deposition and CD profiles for the low-density preheat phase of JET’s advanced tokamak (AT) scenario. It was found that as the density evolves from hollow to flat and then to a more peaked profile the LH power and driven current move inward i.e. towards the plasma axis. A total driven current of about 70 kA for 1 MW of launched LH power was predicted in these conditions.

CLOSED-FIELD CORONAL HEATING DRIVEN BY WAVE TURBULENCE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Downs, Cooper; Lionello, Roberto; Mikić, Zoran

To simulate the energy balance of coronal plasmas on macroscopic scales, we often require the specification of the coronal heating mechanism in some functional form. To go beyond empirical formulations and to build a more physically motivated heating function, we investigate the wave-turbulence-driven (WTD) phenomenology for the heating of closed coronal loops. Our implementation is designed to capture the large-scale propagation, reflection, and dissipation of wave turbulence along a loop. The parameter space of this model is explored by solving the coupled WTD and hydrodynamic evolution in 1D for an idealized loop. The relevance to a range of solar conditionsmore » is also established by computing solutions for over one hundred loops extracted from a realistic 3D coronal field. Due to the implicit dependence of the WTD heating model on loop geometry and plasma properties along the loop and at the footpoints, we find that this model can significantly reduce the number of free parameters when compared to traditional empirical heating models, and still robustly describe a broad range of quiet-Sun and active region conditions. The importance of the self-reflection term in producing relatively short heating scale heights and thermal nonequilibrium cycles is also discussed.« less

Closed-field Coronal Heating Driven by Wave Turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downs, Cooper; Lionello, Roberto; Mikić, Zoran; Linker, Jon A.; Velli, Marco

2016-12-01

To simulate the energy balance of coronal plasmas on macroscopic scales, we often require the specification of the coronal heating mechanism in some functional form. To go beyond empirical formulations and to build a more physically motivated heating function, we investigate the wave-turbulence-driven (WTD) phenomenology for the heating of closed coronal loops. Our implementation is designed to capture the large-scale propagation, reflection, and dissipation of wave turbulence along a loop. The parameter space of this model is explored by solving the coupled WTD and hydrodynamic evolution in 1D for an idealized loop. The relevance to a range of solar conditions is also established by computing solutions for over one hundred loops extracted from a realistic 3D coronal field. Due to the implicit dependence of the WTD heating model on loop geometry and plasma properties along the loop and at the footpoints, we find that this model can significantly reduce the number of free parameters when compared to traditional empirical heating models, and still robustly describe a broad range of quiet-Sun and active region conditions. The importance of the self-reflection term in producing relatively short heating scale heights and thermal nonequilibrium cycles is also discussed.

Alfvén wave dissipation in the solar chromosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grant, Samuel D. T.; Jess, David B.; Zaqarashvili, Teimuraz V.; Beck, Christian; Socas-Navarro, Hector; Aschwanden, Markus J.; Keys, Peter H.; Christian, Damian J.; Houston, Scott J.; Hewitt, Rebecca L.

2018-05-01

Magnetohydrodynamic Alfvén waves1 have been a focus of laboratory plasma physics2 and astrophysics3 for over half a century. Their unique nature makes them ideal energy transporters, and while the solar atmosphere provides preferential conditions for their existence4, direct detection has proved difficult as a result of their evolving and dynamic observational signatures. The viability of Alfvén waves as a heating mechanism relies upon the efficient dissipation and thermalization of the wave energy, with direct evidence remaining elusive until now. Here we provide the first observational evidence of Alfvén waves heating chromospheric plasma in a sunspot umbra through the formation of shock fronts. The magnetic field configuration of the shock environment, alongside the tangential velocity signatures, distinguish them from conventional umbral flashes5. Observed local temperature enhancements of 5% are consistent with the dissipation of mode-converted Alfvén waves driven by upwardly propagating magneto-acoustic oscillations, providing an unprecedented insight into the behaviour of Alfvén waves in the solar atmosphere and beyond.

Excitation of a nonlinear plasma ion wake by intense energy sources with applications to the crunch-in regime

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sahai, Aakash A.

We show the excitation of a nonlinear ion-wake mode by plasma electron modes in the bubble regime driven by intense energy sources, using analytical theory and simulations. The ion wake is shown to be a driven nonlinear ion-acoustic wave in the form of a long-lived cylindrical ion soliton which limits the repetition rate of a plasma-based particle accelerator in the bubble regime. We present the application of this evacuated and radially outwards propagating ion-wake channel with an electron skin-depth scale radius for the “crunch-in” regime of hollow-channel plasma. It is shown that the time-asymmetric focusing force phases in the bubblemore » couple to ion motion significantly differently than in the linear electron mode. The electron compression in the back of the bubble sucks in the ions whereas the space charge within the bubble cavity expels them, driving a cylindrical ion-soliton structure at the bubble radius. Once formed, the soliton is sustained and driven radially outwards by the thermal pressure of the wake energy in electrons. Particle-in-cell simulations are used to study the ion-wake soliton structure, its driven propagation and its use for positron acceleration in the crunch-in regime.« less

Excitation of a nonlinear plasma ion wake by intense energy sources with applications to the crunch-in regime

DOE PAGES

Sahai, Aakash A.

2017-08-23

We show the excitation of a nonlinear ion-wake mode by plasma electron modes in the bubble regime driven by intense energy sources, using analytical theory and simulations. The ion wake is shown to be a driven nonlinear ion-acoustic wave in the form of a long-lived cylindrical ion soliton which limits the repetition rate of a plasma-based particle accelerator in the bubble regime. We present the application of this evacuated and radially outwards propagating ion-wake channel with an electron skin-depth scale radius for the “crunch-in” regime of hollow-channel plasma. It is shown that the time-asymmetric focusing force phases in the bubblemore » couple to ion motion significantly differently than in the linear electron mode. The electron compression in the back of the bubble sucks in the ions whereas the space charge within the bubble cavity expels them, driving a cylindrical ion-soliton structure at the bubble radius. Once formed, the soliton is sustained and driven radially outwards by the thermal pressure of the wake energy in electrons. Particle-in-cell simulations are used to study the ion-wake soliton structure, its driven propagation and its use for positron acceleration in the crunch-in regime.« less

Self-consistent theory for the linear and nonlinear propagation of a sinusoidal electron plasma wave. Application to stimulated Raman scattering in a non-uniform and non-stationary plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bénisti, Didier

2018-01-01

In this paper, we address the theoretical resolution of the Vlasov-Gauss system from the linear regime to the strongly nonlinear one, when significant trapping has occurred. The electric field is that of a sinusoidal electron plasma wave (EPW) which is assumed to grow from the noise level, and to keep growing at least up to the amplitude when linear theory in no longer valid (while the wave evolution in the nonlinear regime may be arbitrary). The ions are considered as a neutralizing fluid, while the electron response to the wave is derived by matching two different techniques. We make use of a perturbation analysis similar to that introduced to prove the Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser theorem, up to amplitudes large enough for neo-adiabatic results to be valid. Our theory is applied to the growth and saturation of the beam-plasma instability, and to the three-dimensional propagation of a driven EPW in a non-uniform and non-stationary plasma. For the latter example, we lay a special emphasis on nonlinear collisionless dissipation. We provide an explicit theoretical expression for the nonlinear Landau-like damping rate which, in some instances, is amenable to a simple analytic formula. We also insist on the irreversible evolution of the electron distribution function, which is nonlocal in the wave amplitude and phase velocity. This makes trapping an effective means of dissipation for the electrostatic energy, and also makes the wave dispersion relation nonlocal. Our theory is generalized to allow for stimulated Raman scattering, which we address up to saturation by accounting for plasma inhomogeneity and non-stationarity, nonlinear kinetic effects, and interspeckle coupling.

Particle-in-cell simulations of the lower-hybrid instability driven by an ion-ring distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanekamp, Stephen; Richardson, Steve; Mithaiwala, Manish; Crabtree, Chris

2013-10-01

Fully electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations of the excitation of the lower-hybrid mode in a plasma driven by an ion-ring distribution using the Lsp code are presented. At early times the simulations agree with linear theory. The resulting wave evolution and non-linear plasma and ring-ion heating are compared with theoretical models [Mithaiwala et al. 2010; Crabtree et al., this meeting] and previous simulation results [Winske and Daughton, 2012]. 2D simulations show that when the magnetic field is perpendicular to the wave vector, k, the electrostatic potential fluctuations work in conjunction with the applied magnetic field causing a circular electron E ×B drift around a positively charged center. Similar phenomena are observed in 2D simulations of magnetic-field penetration into a spatially inhomogeneous unmagnetized plasma [Richardson et al., this meeting] where circular paramagnetic vortices are formed. These vortices are altered by the addition of a small, in-plane, component of magnetic field which allows electrons to stream along field lines effectively shorting out one component of the electric field. In this case, the vortex structures are no longer circular but elongated along the direction of the in-plane magnetic field component.

Laser-Driven Ultra-Relativistic Plasmas - Nuclear Fusion in Coulomb Shock Waves, Rouge Waves, and Background Matter

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-05

equation for electron distribution, and finally -- a major cosmology for mula for the temporal dynamics of redshift and CMB temperature that incorporate...non-relativistic matter, radiation, and dark energy components. - 10 - In application to astrophysics and cosmology , our theory can describe the...remnants of past high-T sources. Both of these results may bring up a significant change of paradigm in astrophysics and cosmology , especially if the

Van Allen Probe Observations of Chorus Wave Activity, Source and Seed electrons, and the Radiation Belt Response During ICME and CIR Storms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bingham, S.; Mouikis, C.; Kistler, L. M.; Farrugia, C. J.; Paulson, K. W.; Huang, C. L.; Boyd, A. J.; Spence, H. E.; Kletzing, C.

2017-12-01

Whistler mode chorus waves are electromagnetic waves that have been shown to be a major contributor to enhancements in the outer radiation belt during geomagnetic storms. The temperature anisotropy of source electrons (10s of keV) provides the free energy for chorus waves, which can accelerate sub-relativistic seed electrons (100s of keV) to relativistic energies. This study uses Van Allen Probe observations to examine the excitation and plasma conditions associated with chorus wave observations, the development of the seed population, and the outer radiation belt response in the inner magnetosphere, for 25 ICME and 35 CIR storms. Plasma data from the Helium Oxygen Proton Electron (HOPE) instrument and magnetic field measurements from the Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science (EMFISIS) are used to identify chorus wave activity and to model a linear theory based proxy for chorus wave growth. A superposed epoch analysis shows a peak of chorus wave power on the dawnside during the storm main phase that spreads towards noon during the storm recovery phase. According to the linear theory results, this wave activity is driven by the enhanced convection driving plasma sheet electrons across the dayside. Both ICME and CIR storms show comparable levels of wave growth. Plasma data from the Magnetic Electron Ion Spectrometer (MagEIS) and the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) are used to observe the seed and relativistic electrons. A superposed epoch analysis of seed and relativistic electrons vs. L shows radiation belt enhancements with much greater frequency in the ICME storms, coinciding with a much stronger and earlier seed electron enhancement in the ICME storms.

Ion beam driven ion-acoustic waves in a plasma cylinder with negative ions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sharma, Suresh C.; Gahlot, Ajay

2008-07-15

An ion beam propagating through a magnetized plasma cylinder containing K{sup +} positive ions, electrons, and SF{sub 6}{sup -} negative ions drives electrostatic ion-acoustic (IA) waves to instability via Cerenkov interaction. Two electrostatic IA wave modes in presence of K{sup +} and SF{sub 6}{sup -} ions are studied. The phase velocity of the sound wave in presence of positive and negative ions increase with the relative density of negative ions. The unstable wave frequencies and the growth rate of both the modes in presence of positive and negative ions increase with the relative density of negative ions. The growth ratemore » of both the unstable modes in presence of SF{sub 6}{sup -} and K{sup +} ions scales as the one-third power of the beam density. Numerical calculations of the phase velocity, growth rate, and mode frequencies have been carried out for the parameters of the experiment of Song et al. [Phys. Fluids B 3, 284 (1991)].« less

High-power broadband plasma maser with magnetic self-insulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Litvin, Vitaliy O.; Loza, Oleg T.

2018-01-01

Presented in this paper are the results of a particle-in-cell modelling of a novel high-power microwave (HPM) source which combines the properties of two devices. The first prototype is a magnetically insulated transmission line oscillator (MILO), an HPM self-oscillator which does not need an external magnetic field and irradiates a narrow spectrum depending on its iris-loaded slow-wave structure. The second prototype is a plasma maser, a Cherenkov HPM amplifier driven by a high-current relativistic electron beam propagating in a strong external magnetic field in plasma which acts as a slow-wave structure. The radiation frequency of plasma masers mainly depends on an easily variable plasma concentration; hence, their spectrum may overlap a few octaves. The plasma-based HPM device described in this paper operates without an external magnetic field: it looks like an MILO in which the iris-loaded slow-wave structure is substituted by a hollow plasma tube. The small pulse duration of ˜1.5 ns prevents a feedback rise in the 20-cm long generation section so that the device operates as a noise amplifier. Unlike conventional ultra wideband generators, the spectrum depends not only on the pulse duration but mainly on plasma, so the operation frequency of the device ranges within 12 GHz. For irradiated frequencies above 2 GHz, the total pulse energy efficiency of 7% is demonstrated at the HPM power level ˜1 GW.

Spiral waves in driven strongly coupled Yukawa systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sandeep; Das, Amita

2018-06-01

Spiral wave formations are ubiquitous in nature. In the present paper, the excitation of spiral waves in the context of driven two-dimensional dusty plasma (Yukawa system) has been demonstrated at particle level using molecular-dynamics simulations. The interaction amidst dust particles is modeled by the Yukawa potential to take account of the shielding of dust charges by the lighter electron and ion species. The spatiotemporal evolution of these spiral waves has been characterized as a function of the frequency and amplitude of the driving force and dust neutral collisions. The effect of strong coupling has been studied, which shows that the excited spiral wave structures get clearer as the medium gets more strongly coupled. The radial propagation speed of the spiral wave is observed to remain unaltered with the coupling parameter. However, it is found to depend on the screening parameter of the dust medium and decreases when it is increased. In the crystalline phase (with screening parameter κ >0.58 ), the spiral wavefronts are shown to be hexagonal in shape. This shows that the radial propagation speed depends on the interparticle spacing.

Nonlinear Evolution of Short-wavelength Torsional Alfvén Waves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shestov, S. V.; Nakariakov, V. M.; Ulyanov, A. S.

2017-05-10

We analyze nonlinear evolution of torsional Alfvén waves in a straight magnetic flux tube filled in with a low- β plasma, and surrounded with a plasma of lower density. Such magnetic tubes model, in particular, a segment of a coronal loop or a polar plume. The wavelength is taken comparable to the tube radius. We perform a numerical simulation of the wave propagation using ideal magnetohydrodynamics. We find that a torsional wave nonlinearly induces three kinds of compressive flows: the parallel flow at the Alfvén speed, which constitutes a bulk plasma motion along the magnetic field, the tube wave, andmore » also transverse flows in the radial direction, associated with sausage fast magnetoacoustic modes. In addition, the nonlinear torsional wave steepens and its propagation speed increases. The latter effect leads to the progressive distortion of the torsional wave front, i.e., nonlinear phase mixing. Because of the intrinsic non-uniformity of the torsional wave amplitude across the tube radius, the nonlinear effects are more pronounced in regions with higher wave amplitudes. They are always absent at the axes of the flux tube. In the case of a linear radial profile of the wave amplitude, the nonlinear effects are localized in an annulus region near the tube boundary. Thus, the parallel compressive flows driven by torsional Alfvén waves in the solar and stellar coronae, are essentially non-uniform in the perpendicular direction. The presence of additional sinks for the wave energy reduces the efficiency of the nonlinear parallel cascade in torsional Alfvén waves.« less

Nonlinear Evolution of Short-wavelength Torsional Alfvén Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shestov, S. V.; Nakariakov, V. M.; Ulyanov, A. S.; Reva, A. A.; Kuzin, S. V.

2017-05-01

We analyze nonlinear evolution of torsional Alfvén waves in a straight magnetic flux tube filled in with a low-β plasma, and surrounded with a plasma of lower density. Such magnetic tubes model, in particular, a segment of a coronal loop or a polar plume. The wavelength is taken comparable to the tube radius. We perform a numerical simulation of the wave propagation using ideal magnetohydrodynamics. We find that a torsional wave nonlinearly induces three kinds of compressive flows: the parallel flow at the Alfvén speed, which constitutes a bulk plasma motion along the magnetic field, the tube wave, and also transverse flows in the radial direction, associated with sausage fast magnetoacoustic modes. In addition, the nonlinear torsional wave steepens and its propagation speed increases. The latter effect leads to the progressive distortion of the torsional wave front, I.e., nonlinear phase mixing. Because of the intrinsic non-uniformity of the torsional wave amplitude across the tube radius, the nonlinear effects are more pronounced in regions with higher wave amplitudes. They are always absent at the axes of the flux tube. In the case of a linear radial profile of the wave amplitude, the nonlinear effects are localized in an annulus region near the tube boundary. Thus, the parallel compressive flows driven by torsional Alfvén waves in the solar and stellar coronae, are essentially non-uniform in the perpendicular direction. The presence of additional sinks for the wave energy reduces the efficiency of the nonlinear parallel cascade in torsional Alfvén waves.

Generation of forerunner electron beam during interaction of ion beam pulse with plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hara, Kentaro; Kaganovich, Igor D.; Startsev, Edward A.

2018-01-01

The long-time evolution of the two-stream instability of a cold tenuous ion beam pulse propagating through the background plasma with density much higher than the ion beam density is investigated using a large-scale one-dimensional electrostatic kinetic simulation. The three stages of the instability are investigated in detail. After the initial linear growth and saturation by the electron trapping, a portion of the initially trapped electrons becomes detrapped and moves ahead of the ion beam pulse forming a forerunner electron beam, which causes a secondary two-stream instability that preheats the upstream plasma electrons. Consequently, the self-consistent nonlinear-driven turbulent state is set up at the head of the ion beam pulse with the saturated plasma wave sustained by the influx of the cold electrons from upstream of the beam that lasts until the final stage when the beam ions become trapped by the plasma wave. The beam ion trapping leads to the nonlinear heating of the beam ions that eventually extinguishes the instability.

Negative ion source with external RF antenna

DOEpatents

Leung, Ka-Ngo; Hahto, Sami K.; Hahto, Sari T.

2007-02-13

A radio frequency (RF) driven plasma ion source has an external RF antenna, i.e. the RF antenna is positioned outside the plasma generating chamber rather than inside. The RF antenna is typically formed of a small diameter metal tube coated with an insulator. An external RF antenna assembly is used to mount the external RF antenna to the ion source. The RF antenna tubing is wound around the external RF antenna assembly to form a coil. The external RF antenna assembly is formed of a material, e.g. quartz, which is essentially transparent to the RF waves. The external RF antenna assembly is attached to and forms a part of the plasma source chamber so that the RF waves emitted by the RF antenna enter into the inside of the plasma chamber and ionize a gas contained therein. The plasma ion source is typically a multi-cusp ion source. A converter can be included in the ion source to produce negative ions.

Experimental Study of Current-Driven Turbulence During Magnetic Reconnection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Porkolab, Miklos; Egedal-Pedersen, Jan; Fox, William

CMPD Final Report Experimental Study of Current-Driven Turbulence During Magnetic Reconnection Miklos Porkolab, PI, Jan Egedal, co-PI, William Fox, graduate student. This is the final report for Grant DE-FC02-04ER54786, MIT Participation in the Center for Multiscale Plasma Dynamics, which was active from 8/1/2004 to 7/31/2010. This Grant supported the thesis work of one MIT graduate student, William Fox, The thesis research consisted of an experimental study of the fluctuations arising during magnetic reconnection in plasmas on the Versatile Toroidal Facility (VTF) at MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). The thesis was submitted and accepted by the MIT physics Department,.more » Fox, Experimental Study of Current-Driven Turbulence During Magnetic Reconnection, Ph.D. Thesis, MIT (2009). In the VTF experiment reconnection and current-sheet formation is driven by quickly changing currents in a specially arranged set of internal conductors. Previous work on this device [Egedal, et al, PRL 98, 015003, (2007)] identified a spontaneous reconnection regime. In this work fluctuations were studied using impedance-matched, high-bandwidth Langmuir probes. Strong, broadband fluctuations, with frequencies extending from near the lower-hybrid frequency [fLH = (fcefci)1/2] to the electron cyclotron frequency fce were found to arise during the reconnection events. Based on frequency and wavelength measurements, lower-hybrid waves and Trivelpiece-Gould waves were identified. The lower-hybrid waves are easiest to drive with strong perpendicular drifts or gradients which arise due to the reconnection events; an appealing possibility is strong temperature gradients. The Trivelpiece-Gould modes can result from kinetic, bump-on-tail instability of a runaway electron population energized by the reconnection events. We also observed that the turbulence is often spiky, consisting of discrete positive-potential spikes, which were identified as electron phase-space holes, a class of nonlinear solitary wave known to evolve from a strong beam-on-tail instability. We established that fast electrons were produced by magnetic reconnection. Overall, these instabilities were found to be a consequence of reconnection, specifically the strong energization of electrons, leading to steep gradients in both coordinate- and velocity-space. Estimates (using quasi-linear theory) of the anomalous resistivity due to these modes did not appear large enough to substantially impact the reconnection process. Relevant publications: W. Fox, M. Porkolab, et al, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 255003 (2008). W. Fox, M. Porkolab, et al, Phys. Plasmas 17, 072303, (2010).« less

Slow Magnetosonic Waves and Fast Flows in Active Region Loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ofman, L.; Wang, T. J.; Davila, J. M.

2012-01-01

Recent extreme ultraviolet spectroscopic observations indicate that slow magnetosonic waves are present in active region (AR) loops. Some of the spectral data were also interpreted as evidence of fast (approx 100-300 km/s) quasiperiodic flows. We have performed three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (3D MHD) modeling of a bipolar AR that contains impulsively generated waves and flows in coronal loops. The model AR is initiated with a dipole magnetic field and gravitationally stratified density, with an upflow-driven steadily or periodically in localized regions at the footpoints of magnetic loops. The resulting flows along the magnetic field lines of the AR produce higher density loops compared to the surrounding plasma by injection of material into the flux tubes and the establishment of siphon flow.We find that the impulsive onset of flows with subsonic speeds result in the excitation of damped slow magnetosonic waves that propagate along the loops and coupled nonlinearly driven fast-mode waves. The phase speed of the slow magnetosonic waves is close to the coronal sound speed. When the amplitude of the driving pulses is increased we find that slow shock-like wave trains are produced. When the upflows are driven periodically, undamped oscillations are produced with periods determined by the periodicity of the upflows. Based on the results of the 3D MHD model we suggest that the observed slow magnetosonic waves and persistent upflows may be produced by the same impulsive events at the bases of ARs.

Degenerate pressure driven modified nucleus-acoustic waves in degenerate plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamun, A. A.

2018-02-01

The existence of degenerate pressure driven modified nucleus-acoustic (DPDMNA) waves propagating in a cold degenerate quantum plasma (DQP) system [containing cold inertialess degenerate electron species (DES), cold inertial non-degenerate light nucleus species (LNS), and stationary heavy nucleus species (HNS)] is predicted for the first time. The DPDMNA waves (in which the mass density of the cold LNS provides the inertia and the cold inertialess DES gives rise to the restoring force) are new since they completely disappear if the degenerate pressure of the cold DES is neglected. It is found that the phase speed (Vp) of the DPDMNA waves decreases with the rise of the charge number density of the stationary HNS for both non-relativistic and ultra-relativistic DES, and that the ultra-relativistic DES does not have any effect on Vp when β = 1, where β = Λc/Λe with Λ e = ne 0 - 1 / 3 being the average inter-electron distance in the DQP system and Λc being the constant (˜10-10 cm) for the DES. However, the ultra-relativistic DES does have quite a significant effect on Vp for β ≫ 1 and β ≪ 1, and the ultra-relativistic effect significantly enhances (reduces) Vp for β ≫ 1 (β ≪ 1). The DPDMNA waves and their dispersion properties are expected to be useful in understanding the basic features of the electrostatic perturbation mode in space and laboratory DQP systems.

A survey of electron Bernstein wave heating and current drive potential for spherical tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Jakub; Decker, Joan; Peysson, Yves; Preinhaelter, Josef; Shevchenko, Vladimir; Taylor, Gary; Vahala, Linda; Vahala, George

2011-08-01

The electron Bernstein wave (EBW) is typically the only wave in the electron cyclotron (EC) range that can be applied in spherical tokamaks for heating and current drive (H&CD). Spherical tokamaks (STs) operate generally in high-β regimes, in which the usual EC O- and X-modes are cut off. In this case, EBWs seem to be the only option that can provide features similar to the EC waves—controllable localized H&CD that can be used for core plasma heating as well as for accurate plasma stabilization. The EBW is a quasi-electrostatic wave that can be excited by mode conversion from a suitably launched O- or X-mode; its propagation further inside the plasma is strongly influenced by the plasma parameters. These rather awkward properties make its application somewhat more difficult. In this paper we perform an extensive numerical study of EBW H&CD performance in four typical ST plasmas (NSTX L- and H-mode, MAST Upgrade, NHTX). Coupled ray-tracing (AMR) and Fokker-Planck (LUKE) codes are employed to simulate EBWs of varying frequencies and launch conditions, which are the fundamental EBW parameters that can be chosen and controlled. Our results indicate that an efficient and universal EBW H&CD system is indeed viable. In particular, power can be deposited and current reasonably efficiently driven across the whole plasma radius. Such a system could be controlled by a suitably chosen launching antenna vertical position and would also be sufficiently robust.

Numerical analysis on the synergy between electron cyclotron current drive and lower hybrid current drive in tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, S. Y.; Hong, B. B.; Liu, Y.; Lu, W.; Huang, J.; Tang, C. J.; Ding, X. T.; Zhang, X. J.; Hu, Y. J.

2012-11-01

The synergy between electron cyclotron current drive (ECCD) and lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) is investigated numerically with the parameters of the HL-2A tokamak. Based on the understanding of the synergy mechanisms, a high current driven efficiency or a desired radial current profile can be achieved through properly matching the parameters of ECCD and LHCD due to the flexibility of ECCD. Meanwhile, it is found that the total current driven by the electron cyclotron wave (ECW) and the lower hybrid wave (LHW) simultaneously can be smaller than the sum of the currents driven by the ECW and LHW separately, when the power of the ECW is much larger than the LHW power. One of the reasons leading to this phenomenon (referred to as negative synergy in this context) is that fast current-carrying electrons tend to be trapped, when the perpendicular velocity driven by the ECW is large and the parallel velocity decided by the LHW is correspondingly small.

Simultaneous use of camera and probe diagnostics to unambiguously identify and study the dynamics of multiple underlying instabilities during the route to plasma turbulence.

PubMed

Thakur, S C; Brandt, C; Light, A; Cui, L; Gosselin, J J; Tynan, G R

2014-11-01

We use multiple-tip Langmuir probes and fast imaging to unambiguously identify and study the dynamics of underlying instabilities during the controlled route to fully-developed plasma turbulence in a linear magnetized helicon plasma device. Langmuir probes measure radial profiles of electron temperature, plasma density and potential; from which we compute linear growth rates of instabilities, cross-phase between density and potential fluctuations, Reynold's stress, particle flux, vorticity, time-delay estimated velocity, etc. Fast imaging complements the 1D probe measurements by providing temporally and spatially resolved 2D details of plasma structures associated with the instabilities. We find that three radially separated plasma instabilities exist simultaneously. Density gradient driven resistive drift waves propagating in the electron diamagnetic drift direction separate the plasma into an edge region dominated by strong, velocity shear driven Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities and a central core region which shows coherent Rayleigh-Taylor modes propagating in the ion diamagnetic drift direction. The simultaneous, complementary use of both probes and camera was crucial to identify the instabilities and understand the details of the very rich plasma dynamics.

Open Boundary Particle-in-Cell Simulation of Dipolarization Front Propagation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klimas, Alex; Hwang, Kyoung-Joo; Vinas, Adolfo F.; Goldstein, Melvyn L.

2014-01-01

First results are presented from an ongoing open boundary 2-1/2D particle-in-cell simulation study of dipolarization front (DF) propagation in Earth's magnetotail. At this stage, this study is focused on the compression, or pileup, region preceding the DF current sheet. We find that the earthward acceleration of the plasma in this region is in general agreement with a recent DF force balance model. A gyrophase bunched reflected ion population at the leading edge of the pileup region is reflected by a normal electric field in the pileup region itself, rather than through an interaction with the current sheet. We discuss plasma wave activity at the leading edge of the pileup region that may be driven by gradients, or by reflected ions, or both; the mode has not been identified. The waves oscillate near but above the ion cyclotron frequency with wavelength several ion inertial lengths. We show that the waves oscillate primarily in the perpendicular magnetic field components, do not propagate along the background magnetic field, are right handed elliptically (close to circularly) polarized, exist in a region of high electron and ion beta, and are stationary in the plasma frame moving earthward. We discuss the possibility that the waves are present in plasma sheet data, but have not, thus far, been discovered.

Fully microscopic analysis of laser-driven finite plasmas using the example of clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peltz, Christian; Varin, Charles; Brabec, Thomas; Fennel, Thomas

2012-06-01

We discuss a microscopic particle-in-cell (MicPIC) approach that allows bridging of the microscopic and macroscopic realms of laser-driven plasma physics. The simultaneous resolution of collisions and electromagnetic field propagation in MicPIC enables the investigation of processes that have been inaccessible to rigorous numerical scrutiny so far. This is illustrated by the two main findings of our analysis of pre-ionized, resonantly laser-driven clusters, which can be realized experimentally in pump-probe experiments. In the linear response regime, MicPIC data are used to extract the individual microscopic contributions to the dielectric cluster response function, such as surface and bulk collision frequencies. We demonstrate that the competition between surface collisions and radiation damping is responsible for the maximum in the size-dependent lifetime of the Mie surface plasmon. The capacity to determine the microscopic underpinning of optical material parameters opens new avenues for modeling nano-plasmonics and nano-photonics systems. In the non-perturbative regime, we analyze the formation and evolution of recollision-induced plasma waves in laser-driven clusters. The resulting dynamics of the electron density and local field hot spots opens a new research direction for the field of attosecond science.

Threshold for plasma phase transition of aluminum single crystal induced by hypervelocity impact

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ju, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Qingming, E-mail: qmzhang@bit.edu.cn

2015-12-15

Molecular dynamics method is used to study the threshold for plasma phase transition of aluminum single crystal induced by hypervelocity impact. Two effective simulation methods, piston-driven method and multi-scale shock technique, are used to simulate the shock wave. The simulation results from the two methods agree well with the experimental data, indicating that the shock wave velocity is linearly dependent on the particle velocity. The atom is considered to be ionized if the increase of its internal energy is larger than the first ionization energy. The critical impact velocity for plasma phase transition is about 13.0 km/s, corresponding to the thresholdmore » of pressure and temperature which is about 220 GPa and 11.0 × 10{sup 3 }K on the shock Hugoniot, respectively.« less

Limits of applicability of the quasilinear approximation to the electrostatic wave-plasma interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zacharegkas, Georgios; Isliker, Heinz; Vlahos, Loukas

2016-11-01

The limitation of the Quasilinear Theory (QLT) to describe the diffusion of electrons and ions in velocity space when interacting with a spectrum of large amplitude electrostatic Langmuir, Upper and Lower hybrid waves, is analyzed. We analytically and numerically estimate the threshold for the amplitude of the waves above which the QLT breaks down, using a test particle code. The evolution of the velocity distribution, the velocity-space diffusion coefficients, the driven current, and the heating of the particles are investigated, for the interaction with small and large amplitude electrostatic waves, that is, in both regimes, where QLT is valid and where it clearly breaks down.

Investigation of electrostatic waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies in L-4 and ACT-1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ono, Masayuki

Electrostatic waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) were studied in the Princeton L-4 and ACT-1 devices for approximately ten years, from 1975 to 1985. The investigation began in the L-4 linear device, looking for the parametric excitation of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in multi-ion-species plasmas. In addition, this investigation verified multi-ion-species effects on the electrostatic ion cyclotron wave dispersion religion including the ion-ion hybrid resonance. Finite-Larmor-radius modification of the wave dispersion relation was also observed, even for ion temperatures of T{sub i} {approx} 1/40 eV. Taking advantage of the relatively high field and long device length ofmore » L-4, the existence of the cold electrostatic ion cyclotron wave (CES ICW) was verified. With the arrival of the ACT-1 toroidal device, finite-Larmor-radius (FLR) waves were studied in a relatively collisionless warm-ion hydrogen plasma. Detailed investigations of ion Bernstein waves (IBW) included the verification of mode-transformation in their launching, their wave propagation characteristics, their absorption, and the resulting ion heating. This basic physics activity played a crucial role in developing a new reactor heating concept termed ion Bernstein wave heating. Experimental research in the lower hybrid frequency range confirmed the existence of FLR effects near the lower hybrid resonance, predicted by Stix in 1965. In a neon plasma with a carefully placed phased wave exciter, the neutralized ion Bernstein wave was observed for the first time. Using a fastwave ICRF antenna, two parasitic excitation processes for IBW -- parametric instability and density-gradient-driven excitation -- were also discovered. In the concluding section of this paper, a possible application of externally launched electrostatic waves is suggested for helium ash removal from fusion reactor plasmas.« less

Investigation of electrostatic waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies in L-4 and ACT-1

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ono, Masayuki.

Electrostatic waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) were studied in the Princeton L-4 and ACT-1 devices for approximately ten years, from 1975 to 1985. The investigation began in the L-4 linear device, looking for the parametric excitation of electrostatic ion cyclotron waves in multi-ion-species plasmas. In addition, this investigation verified multi-ion-species effects on the electrostatic ion cyclotron wave dispersion religion including the ion-ion hybrid resonance. Finite-Larmor-radius modification of the wave dispersion relation was also observed, even for ion temperatures of T[sub i] [approx] 1/40 eV. Taking advantage of the relatively high field and long device length ofmore » L-4, the existence of the cold electrostatic ion cyclotron wave (CES ICW) was verified. With the arrival of the ACT-1 toroidal device, finite-Larmor-radius (FLR) waves were studied in a relatively collisionless warm-ion hydrogen plasma. Detailed investigations of ion Bernstein waves (IBW) included the verification of mode-transformation in their launching, their wave propagation characteristics, their absorption, and the resulting ion heating. This basic physics activity played a crucial role in developing a new reactor heating concept termed ion Bernstein wave heating. Experimental research in the lower hybrid frequency range confirmed the existence of FLR effects near the lower hybrid resonance, predicted by Stix in 1965. In a neon plasma with a carefully placed phased wave exciter, the neutralized ion Bernstein wave was observed for the first time. Using a fastwave ICRF antenna, two parasitic excitation processes for IBW -- parametric instability and density-gradient-driven excitation -- were also discovered. In the concluding section of this paper, a possible application of externally launched electrostatic waves is suggested for helium ash removal from fusion reactor plasmas.« less

Link between microstability and macrostability of plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Litwin, C.

A mechanism linking high-frequency microinstabilities and the low-frequencymacrostability is proposed. The coupling is provided by the time-averagedforce, ponderomotive force, of unstable high-frequency waves. Two specificexamples of this phenomenon are discussed. It is shown that an..cap alpha..-particle loss-cone instability stabilizes the flute mode of anignited, axisymmetric mirror plasma. In tokamaks, the ion-whistler instability,driven by an anisotropic population of energetic particles, stabilizes theinternal kink mode for JET range of parameters.

Evidence of m = 1 density mode (plasma cam) in Saturn's rotating magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldstein, J.; Waite, J. H.; Burch, J. L.; Livi, R.

2016-03-01

Cassini field and plasma data measured in the rotating Saturn Longitude System 3 (SLS3) coordinate system show positive evidence of structure whose dominant azimuthal wave number is m = 1: a long-lived, nonaxisymmetric, cam-shaped, global plasma distribution in Saturn's magnetosphere. Previous studies have identified evidence of this plasma cam in wave-derived electron density data and in Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) W+ ion counts data. In this paper we report the first comprehensive analysis of CAPS ion moments data to identify the m = 1 density cam. We employ a multiyear, multispecies database of 685,678 CAPS density values, binned into a 1 RS by 4.8° discretized grid, spanning 4-19 RS. Fourier (harmonic) analysis shows that at most radial distances the dominant azimuthal mode is m = 1, for both W+ and H+ ion distributions. The majority (63%) of m = 1 ion peaks are clustered in an SLS3 quadrant centered at 330°. The plasma cam's existence has important implications for the global interchange-driven convection cycle and is a clue to solving the mystery of the rotational periodicities in Saturn's magnetosphere.

Internal transport barrier triggered by non-linear lower hybrid wave deposition under condition of beam-driven toroidal rotation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Q. D.; Budny, R. V.

2015-03-01

By using gyro-Landau fluid transport model (GLF23), time-dependent integrated modeling is carried out using TRANSP to explore the dynamic process of internal transport barrier (ITB) formation in the neutral beam heating discharges. When the current profile is controlled by LHCD (lower hybrid current drive), with appropriate neutral beam injection, the nonlinear interplay between the transport determined gradients in the plasma temperature (Ti,e) and toroidal velocity (Vϕ) and the E×B flow shear (including q-profile) produces transport bifurcations, generating spontaneously a stepwise growing ITB. In the discharge, the constraints imposed by the wave propagation condition causes interplay of the LH driven current distribution with the plasma configuration modification, which constitutes non-linearity in the LH wave deposition. The non-linear effects cause bifurcation in LHCD, generating two distinct quasi-stationary reversed magnetic shear configurations. The change of current profile during the transition period between the two quasi-stationary states results in increase of the E×B shearing flow arising from toroidal rotation. The turbulence transport suppression by sheared E×B flow during the ITB development is analysed, and the temporal evolution of some parameters characterized the plasma confinement is examined. Ample evidence shows that onset of the ITB development is correlated with the enhancement of E×B shearing rate caused by the bifurcation in LHCD. It is suggested that the ITB triggering is associated with the non-linear effects of the LH power deposition.

A Variable Frequency, Mis-Match Tolerant, Inductive Plasma Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, Anthony; Kirchner, Don; Skiff, Fred

2014-10-01

Presented here is a survey and analysis of an inductively coupled, magnetically confined, singly ionized Argon plasma generated by a square-wave, variable frequency plasma source. The helicon-style antenna is driven directly by the class ``D'' amplifier without matching network for increased efficiency while maintaining independent control of frequency and applied power at the feed point. The survey is compared to similar data taken using a traditional exciter--power amplifier--matching network source. Specifically, the flexibility of this plasma source in terms of the independent control of electron plasma temperature and density is discussed in comparison to traditional source arrangements. Supported by US DOE Grant DE-FG02-99ER54543.

Confluence or independence of microwave plasma bullets in atmospheric argon plasma jet plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ping; Chen, Zhaoquan; Mu, Haibao; Xu, Guimin; Yao, Congwei; Sun, Anbang; Zhou, Yuming; Zhang, Guanjun

2018-03-01

Plasma bullet is the formation and propagation of a guided ionization wave (streamer), normally generated in atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ). In most cases, only an ionization front produces in a dielectric tube. The present study shows that two or three ionization fronts can be generated in a single quartz tube by using a microwave coaxial resonator. The argon APPJ plumes with a maximum length of 170 mm can be driven by continuous microwaves or microwave pulses. When the input power is higher than 90 W, two or three ionization fronts propagate independently at first; thereafter, they confluence to form a central plasma jet plume. On the other hand, the plasma bullets move independently as the lower input power is applied. For pulsed microwave discharges, the discharge images captured by a fast camera show the ionization process in detail. Another interesting finding is that the strongest lightening plasma jet plumes always appear at the shrinking phase. Both the discharge images and electromagnetic simulations suggest that the confluence or independent propagation of plasma bullets is resonantly excited by the local enhanced electric fields, in terms of wave modes of traveling surface plasmon polaritons.

Investigation of Spheromak Plasma Cooling through Metallic Liner Spallation during Compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, Keeton; Mossman, Alex; Young, William; Ivanov, Russ; O'Shea, Peter; Howard, Stephen

2016-10-01

Various magnetic-target fusion (MTF) reactor concepts involve a preliminary magnetic confinement stage, followed by a metallic liner implosion that compresses the plasma to fusion conditions. The process is repeated to produce a pulsed, net-gain energy system. General Fusion, Inc. is pursuing one scheme that involves the compression of spheromak plasmas inside a liner formed by a collapsing vortex of liquid Pb-Li. The compression is driven by focused acoustic waves launched by gas-driven piston impacts. Here we describe a project to exploring the effects of possible liner spallation during compression on the spheromaks temperature, lifetime, and stability. We employ a 1 J, 10 ns pulsed YAG laser at 532nm focused onto a thin film of Li or Al to inject a known quantity of metallic impurities into a spheromak plasma and then measure the response. Diagnostics including visible and ultraviolet spectrometers, ion Doppler, B-probes, and Thomson scattering are used for plasma characterization. We then plan to apply the trends measured under these controlled conditions to evaluate the role of wall impurities during `field shots', where spheromaks are compressed through a chemically driven implosion of an aluminum flux conserver. The hope is that with further study we could more accurately include the effect of wall impurities on the fusion yield of a reactor-scale MTF system. Experimental procedures and results are presented, along with their relation to other liner-driven, MTF schemes. -/a

Particle orbits in a force-balanced, wave-driven, rotating torus

DOE PAGES

Ochs, I. E.; Fisch, N. J.

2017-09-01

A wave-driven rotating torus is a recently proposed fusion concept where the rotational transform is provided by the E × B drift resulting from a minor radial electric field. This field can be produced, for instance, by the RF-wave-mediated extraction of fusion-born alpha particles. In this paper, we discuss how macroscopic force balance, i.e., balance of the thermal hoop force, can be achieved in such a device. We show that this requires the inclusion of a small plasma current and vertical magnetic field and identify the desirable reactor regime through free energy considerations. We then analyze particle orbits in thismore » desirable regime, identifying velocity-space anisotropies in trapped (banana) orbits, resulting from the cancellation of rotational transforms due to the radial electric and poloidal magnetic fields. The potential neoclassical effects of these orbits on the perpendicular conductivity, current drive, and transport are discussed.« less

Particle orbits in a force-balanced, wave-driven, rotating torus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ochs, I. E.; Fisch, N. J.

A wave-driven rotating torus is a recently proposed fusion concept where the rotational transform is provided by the E × B drift resulting from a minor radial electric field. This field can be produced, for instance, by the RF-wave-mediated extraction of fusion-born alpha particles. In this paper, we discuss how macroscopic force balance, i.e., balance of the thermal hoop force, can be achieved in such a device. We show that this requires the inclusion of a small plasma current and vertical magnetic field and identify the desirable reactor regime through free energy considerations. We then analyze particle orbits in thismore » desirable regime, identifying velocity-space anisotropies in trapped (banana) orbits, resulting from the cancellation of rotational transforms due to the radial electric and poloidal magnetic fields. The potential neoclassical effects of these orbits on the perpendicular conductivity, current drive, and transport are discussed.« less

Particle orbits in a force-balanced, wave-driven, rotating torus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ochs, I. E.; Fisch, N. J.

2017-09-01

A wave-driven rotating torus is a recently proposed fusion concept where the rotational transform is provided by the E × B drift resulting from a minor radial electric field. This field can be produced, for instance, by the RF-wave-mediated extraction of fusion-born alpha particles. In this paper, we discuss how macroscopic force balance, i.e., balance of the thermal hoop force, can be achieved in such a device. We show that this requires the inclusion of a small plasma current and vertical magnetic field and identify the desirable reactor regime through free energy considerations. We then analyze particle orbits in this desirable regime, identifying velocity-space anisotropies in trapped (banana) orbits, resulting from the cancellation of rotational transforms due to the radial electric and poloidal magnetic fields. The potential neoclassical effects of these orbits on the perpendicular conductivity, current drive, and transport are discussed.

Diffusion-driven fluid dynamics in ideal gases and plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vold, E. L.; Yin, L.; Taitano, W.; Molvig, K.; Albright, B. J.

2018-06-01

The classical transport theory based on Chapman-Enskog methods provides self-consistent approximations for the kinetic flux of mass, heat, and momentum in a fluid limit characterized with a small Knudsen number. The species mass fluxes relative to the center of mass, or "diffusive fluxes," are expressed as functions of known gradient quantities with kinetic coefficients evaluated using similar analyses for mixtures of gases or plasma components. The sum over species of the diffusive mass fluxes is constrained to be zero in the Lagrange frame, and thus results in a non-zero molar flux leading to a pressure perturbation. At an interface between two species initially in pressure equilibrium, the pressure perturbation driven by the diffusive molar flux induces a center of mass velocity directed from the species of greater atomic mass towards the lighter atomic mass species. As the ratio of the species particle masses increases, this center of mass velocity carries an increasingly greater portion of the mass across the interface and for a particle mass ratio greater than about two, the center of mass velocity carries more mass than the gradient driven diffusion flux. Early time transients across an interface between two species in a 1D plasma regime and initially in equilibrium are compared using three methods; a fluid code with closure in a classical transport approximation, a particle in cell simulation, and an implicit Fokker-Planck solver for the particle distribution functions. The early time transient phenomenology is shown to be similar in each of the computational simulation methods, including a pressure perturbation associated with the stationary "induced" component of the center of mass velocity which decays to pressure equilibrium during diffusion. At early times, the diffusive process generates pressure and velocity waves which propagate outward from the interface and are required to maintain momentum conservation. The energy in the outgoing waves dissipates as heat in viscous regions, and it is hypothesized that these diffusion driven waves may sustain fluctuations in less viscid finite domains after reflections from the boundaries. These fluid dynamic phenomena are similar in gases or plasmas and occur in flow transients with a moderate Knudsen number. The analysis and simulation results show how the kinetic flux, represented in the fluid transport closure, directly modifies the mass averaged flow described with the Euler equations.

Density-Gradient-Driven trapped-electron-modes in improved-confinement RFP plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, James

2016-10-01

Short wavelength density fluctuations in improved-confinement MST plasmas exhibit multiple features characteristic of the trapped-electron-mode (TEM), strong evidence that drift wave turbulence emerges in RFP plasmas when transport associated with MHD tearing is reduced. Core transport in the RFP is normally governed by magnetic stochasticity stemming from long wavelength tearing modes that arise from current profile peaking. Using inductive control, the tearing modes are reduced and global confinement is increased to values expected for a comparable tokamak plasma. The improved confinement is associated with a large increase in the pressure gradient that can destabilize drift waves. The measured density fluctuations have frequencies >50 kHz, wavenumbers k_phi*rho_s<0.14, and propagate in the electron drift direction. Their spectral emergence coincides with a sharp decrease in fluctuations associated with global tearing modes. Their amplitude increases with the local density gradient, and they exhibit a density-gradient threshold at R/L_n 15, higher than in tokamak plasmas by R/a. the GENE code, modified for RFP equilibria, predicts the onset of microinstability for these strong-gradient plasma conditions. The density-gradient-driven TEM is the dominant instability in the region where the measured density fluctuations are largest, and the experimental threshold-gradient is close to the predicted critical gradient for linear stability. While nonlinear analysis shows a large Dimits shift associated with predicted strong zonal flows, the inclusion of residual magnetic fluctuations causes a collapse of the zonal flows and an increase in the predicted transport to a level close to the experimentally measured heat flux. Similar circumstances could occur in the edge region of tokamak plasmas when resonant magnetic perturbations are applied for the control of ELMs. Work supported by US DOE.

Parallel electric fields in extragalactic jets - Double layers and anomalous resistivity in symbiotic relationships

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borovsky, J. E.

1986-01-01

After examining the properties of Coulomb-collision resistivity, anomalous (collective) resistivity, and double layers, a hybrid anomalous-resistivity/double-layer model is introduced. In this model, beam-driven waves on both sides of a double layer provide electrostatic plasma-wave turbulence that greatly reduces the mobility of charged particles. These regions then act to hold open a density cavity within which the double layer resides. In the double layer, electrical energy is dissipated with 100 percent efficiency into high-energy particles, creating conditions optimal for the collective emission of polarized radio waves.

Interaction between high harmonic fast waves and fast ions in NSTX/NSTX-U plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertelli, N.; Valeo, E. J.; Gorelenkova, M.; Green, D. L.; RF SciDAC Team

2016-10-01

Fast wave (FW) heating in the ion cyclotron range of frequency (ICRF) has been successfully used to sustain and control the fusion plasma performance, and it will likely play an important role in the ITER experiment. As demonstrated in the NSTX and DIII-D experiments the interactions between fast waves and fast ions can be so strong to significantly modify the fast ion population from neutral beam injection. In fact, it has been recently found in NSTX that FWs can modify and, under certain conditions, even suppress the energetic particle driven instabilities, such as toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes and global Alfvén eigenmodes and fishbones. This paper examines such interactions in NSTX/NSTX-U plasmas by using the recent extension of the RF full-wave code TORIC to include non-Maxwellian ions distribution functions. Particular attention is given to the evolution of the fast ions distribution function w/ and w/o RF. Tests on the RF kick-operator implemented in the Monte-Carlo particle code NUBEAM is also discussed in order to move towards a self consistent evaluation of the RF wave-field and the ion distribution functions in the TRANSP code. Work supported by US DOE Contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

Numerical Study of Current Driven Instabilities and Anomalous Electron Transport in Hall-effect Thrusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Jonathan

Plasma turbulence and the resulting anomalous electron transport due to azimuthal current driven instabilities in Hall-effect thrusters is a promising candidate for developing predictive models for the observed anomalous transport. A theory for anomalous electron transport and current driven instabilities has been recently studied by [Lafluer et al., 2016a]. Due to the extreme cost of fully resolving the Debye length and plasma frequency, hybrid plasma simulations utilizing kinetic ions and quasi-steady state fluid electrons have long been the principle workhorse methodology for Hall-effect thruster modeling. Using a reduced dimension particle in cell simulation implemented in the Thermophysics Universal Research Framework developed by the Air Force Research Lab, we show collective electron-wave scattering due to large amplitude azimuthal fluctuations of the electric field and the plasma density. These high-frequency and short wavelength fluctuations can lead to an effective cross-field mobility many orders of magnitude larger than what is expected from classical electron-neutral momentum collisions in the low neutral density regime. We further adapt the previous study by [Lampe et al., 1971] and [Stringer, 1964] for related current driven instabilities to electric propulsion relevant mass ratios and conditions. Finally, we conduct a preliminary study of resolving this instability with a modified hybrid simulation with the hope of integration with established hybrid Hall-effect thruster simulations.

Current Driven Instabilities and Anomalous Mobility in Hall-effect Thrusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, Jonathan; Eckhardt, Daniel; Martin, Robert

2017-10-01

Due to the extreme cost of fully resolving the Debye length and plasma frequency, hybrid plasma simulations utilizing kinetic ions and quasi-steady state fluid electrons have long been the principle workhorse methodology for Hall-effect thruster (HET) modeling. Plasma turbulence and the resulting anomalous electron transport in HETs is a promising candidate for developing predictive models for the observed anomalous transport. In this work, we investigate the implementation of an anomalous electron cross field transport model for hybrid HET simulations such a HPHall. A theory for anomalous transport in HETs and current driven instabilities has been recently studied by Lafleur et al. This work has shown collective electron-wave scattering due to large amplitude azimuthal fluctuations of the electric field. We will further adapt the previous results for related current driven instabilities to electric propulsion relevant mass ratios and conduct a preliminary study of resolving this instability with a modified hybrid (fluid electron and kinetic ion) simulation with the hope of integration with established hybrid HET simulations. This work is supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research award FA9950-17RQCOR465.

Direct ion heating in overdense plasmas through the Brillouin instability driven by relativistic whistler waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, Takayoshi; Hata, Masayasu; Iwata, Natsumi; Mima, Kunioki; Sentoku, Yasuhiko

2017-10-01

Strong magnetic fields over kilo-Tesla have been available in the laboratory by the use of ultra-intense lasers. It would be interesting to apply those strong fields to other laser experiments such as the inertial confinement fusion and laboratory astrophysics. The characteristics of laser-plasma interactions could be modified significantly by the presence of such strong magnetic fields. We investigate electromagnetic wave propagation in overdense plasmas along the magnetic field for a right-hand circularly polarized wave by PIC simulations. Since the whistler mode has no cutoff density, it can penetrate into overdense plasmas and interact directly with charged particles there. When the external field strength is near a critical value defined by that the cyclotron frequency is equal to the laser one, it is reported that electrons are accelerated efficiently by the cyclotron resonance. However, if the field strength is far beyond the critical value, the cyclotron resonance is inefficient, while the ions gain a large amount of energy directly from the laser light owning to the Brillouin scattering. As the result, only ions are heated up selectively. We will discuss about the application of this ion heating in dense plasmas. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP15K21767.

A non-linear 4-wave resonant model for non-perturbative fast ion interactions with Alfv'enic modes in burning plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zonca, Fulvio; Chen, Liu

2007-11-01

We adopt the 4-wave modulation interaction model, introduced by Chen et al [1] for analyzing modulational instabilities of the radial envelope of Ion Temperature Gradient driven modes in toroidal geometry, extending it to the modulations on the fast particle distribution function due to nonlinear Alfv'enic mode dynamics, as proposed in Ref. [2]. In the case where the wave-particle interactions are non-perturbative and strongly influence the mode evolution, as in the case of Energetic Particle Modes (EPM) [3], radial distortions (redistributions) of the fast ion source dominate the mode nonlinear dynamics. In this work, we show that the resonant particle motion is secular with a time-scale inversely proportional to the mode amplitude [4] and that the time evolution of the EPM radial envelope can be cast into the form of a nonlinear Schr"odinger equation a la Ginzburg-Landau [5]. [1] L. Chen et al, Phys. Plasmas 7 3129 (2000) [2] F. Zonca et al, Theory of Fusion Plasmas (Bologna: SIF) 17 (2000) [3] L. Chen, Phys. Plasmas 1, 1519 (1994).[4] F. Zonca et al, Nucl. Fusion 45 477 (2005) [5] F. Zonca et al, Plasma Phys. Contr. Fusion 48 B15 (2006)

Laser-launched flyer plate and confined laser ablation for shock wave loading: validation and applications.

PubMed

Paisley, Dennis L; Luo, Sheng-Nian; Greenfield, Scott R; Koskelo, Aaron C

2008-02-01

We present validation and some applications of two laser-driven shock wave loading techniques: laser-launched flyer plate and confined laser ablation. We characterize the flyer plate during flight and the dynamically loaded target with temporally and spatially resolved diagnostics. With transient imaging displacement interferometry, we demonstrate that the planarity (bow and tilt) of the loading induced by a spatially shaped laser pulse is within 2-7 mrad (with an average of 4+/-1 mrad), similar to that in conventional techniques including gas gun loading. Plasma heating of target is negligible, in particular, when a plasma shield is adopted. For flyer plate loading, supported shock waves can be achieved. Temporal shaping of the drive pulse in confined laser ablation allows for flexible loading, e.g., quasi-isentropic, Taylor-wave, and off-Hugoniot loading. These techniques can be utilized to investigate such dynamic responses of materials as Hugoniot elastic limit, plasticity, spall, shock roughness, equation of state, phase transition, and metallurgical characteristics of shock-recovered samples.

Solitons and Vortices of Shear-Flow-Modified Dust Acoustic Wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saeed, Usman; Saleem, Hamid; Shan, Shaukat Ali

2018-01-01

Shear-flow-driven instability and a modified nonlinear dust acoustic wave (mDAW) are investigated in a dusty plasma. In the nonlinear regime a one dimensional mDAW produces pulse-type solitons and in the two-dimensional case, the dipolar vortex solutions are obtained. This investigation is relevant to magnetospheres of planets such as Saturn and Jupiter as well as dusty interstellar clouds. Here, the theoretical model is applied to Saturn's F-rings, and shape of the nonlinear electric field structures is discussed.

Single-cycle powerful megawatt to gigawatt terahertz pulse radiated from a wavelength-scale plasma oscillator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Hui-Chun; Sheng, Zheng-Ming; Zhang, Jie

2008-04-01

We propose a scheme to generate single-cycle powerful terahertz (THz) pulses by ultrashort intense laser pulses obliquely incident on an underdense plasma slab of a few THz wavelengths in thickness. THz waves are radiated from a transient net current driven by the laser ponderomotive force in the plasma slab. Analysis and particle-in-cell simulations show that such a THz source is capable of providing power of megawatts to gigawatts, field strength of MV/cm-GV/cm, and broad tunability range, which is potentially useful for nonlinear and high-field THz science and applications.

High-quality electron beams from beam-driven plasma accelerators by wakefield-induced ionization injection.

PubMed

Martinez de la Ossa, A; Grebenyuk, J; Mehrling, T; Schaper, L; Osterhoff, J

2013-12-13

We propose a new and simple strategy for controlled ionization-induced trapping of electrons in a beam-driven plasma accelerator. The presented method directly exploits electric wakefields to ionize electrons from a dopant gas and capture them into a well-defined volume of the accelerating and focusing wake phase, leading to high-quality witness bunches. This injection principle is explained by example of three-dimensional particle-in-cell calculations using the code OSIRIS. In these simulations a high-current-density electron-beam driver excites plasma waves in the blowout regime inside a fully ionized hydrogen plasma of density 5×10(17)cm-3. Within an embedded 100  μm long plasma column contaminated with neutral helium gas, the wakefields trigger ionization, trapping of a defined fraction of the released electrons, and subsequent acceleration. The hereby generated electron beam features a 1.5 kA peak current, 1.5  μm transverse normalized emittance, an uncorrelated energy spread of 0.3% on a GeV-energy scale, and few femtosecond bunch length.

Properties of density and magnetic fluctuations occurring in density striations in the new LAPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maggs, J. E.; Morales, G. J.

2001-10-01

Previous studies of density striations (long, narrow magnetic-field-aligned density depletions) in the LAPD plasma device at UCLA revealed an eigenmode structure to fluctuations driven by the pressure gradient in the striation wall (Maggs and Morales, Phys. Plasmas, 4, 1997). The nature of these fluctuations depended on the plasma beta external to the striation, with shear Alfvén wave turbulence developing at betas less than the mass ratio and drift-Alfvén waves at betas above the mass ratio. These fluctuations were found to have a direct connection to turbulence observed at the plasma edge. The new LAPD is 18 meters in length with a background field up to twice previously attainable values. We report on the properties of fluctuations associated with density striations in the new device over a wider range of beta, and compare them to previous results. The behavior of fluctuations in density striations created in flared-field and magnetic-mirror geometries will also be presented. Research sponsored by ONR and NSF

Simulated performance of the optical Thomson scattering diagnostic designed for the National Ignition Facility.

PubMed

Ross, J S; Datte, P; Divol, L; Galbraith, J; Froula, D H; Glenzer, S H; Hatch, B; Katz, J; Kilkenny, J; Landen, O; Manuel, A M; Molander, W; Montgomery, D S; Moody, J D; Swadling, G; Weaver, J

2016-11-01

An optical Thomson scattering diagnostic has been designed for the National Ignition Facility to characterize under-dense plasmas. We report on the design of the system and the expected performance for different target configurations. The diagnostic is designed to spatially and temporally resolve the Thomson scattered light from laser driven targets. The diagnostic will collect scattered light from a 50 × 50 × 200 μm volume. The optical design allows operation with different probe laser wavelengths. A deep-UV probe beam (λ 0 = 210 nm) will be used to Thomson scatter from electron plasma densities of ∼5 × 10 20 cm -3 while a 3ω probe will be used for plasma densities of ∼1 × 10 19 cm -3 . The diagnostic package contains two spectrometers: the first to resolve Thomson scattering from ion acoustic wave fluctuations and the second to resolve scattering from electron plasma wave fluctuations. Expected signal levels relative to background will be presented for typical target configurations (hohlraums and a planar foil).

Saturation of multi-laser beams laser-plasma instabilities from stochastic ion heating

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Michel, P.; Williams, E. A.; Divol, L.

2013-05-15

Cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) has been used as a tool on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) since the first energetics experiments in 2009 to control the energy deposition in ignition hohlraums and tune the implosion symmetry. As large amounts of power are transferred between laser beams at the entrance holes of NIF hohlraums, the presence of many overlapping beat waves can lead to stochastic ion heating in the regions where laser beams overlap [P. Michel et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 195004 (2012)]. This increases the ion acoustic velocity and modifies the ion acoustic waves’ dispersion relation, thus reducing themore » plasma response to the beat waves and the efficiency of CBET. This pushes the plasma oscillations driven by CBET in a regime where the phase velocities are much smaller than both the electron and ion thermal velocities. CBET gains are derived for this new regime and generalized to the case of multi ion species plasmas.« less

Comparison of electric dipole and magnetic loop antennas for exciting whistler modes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

2016-08-15

The excitation of low frequency whistler modes from different antennas has been investigated experimentally in a large laboratory plasma. One antenna consists of a linear electric dipole oriented across the uniform ambient magnetic field B{sub 0}. The other antenna is an elongated loop with dipole moment parallel to B{sub 0}. Both antennas are driven by the same rf generator which produces a rf burst well below the electron cyclotron frequency. The antenna currents as well as the wave magnetic fields from each antenna are measured. Both the antenna currents and the wave fields of the loop antenna exceed that ofmore » the electric dipole by two orders of magnitude. The conclusion is that loop antennas are far superior to dipole antennas for exciting large amplitude whistler modes, a result important for active wave experiments in space plasmas.« less

Current-driven plasmonic boom instability in three-dimensional gated periodic ballistic nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aizin, G. R.; Mikalopas, J.; Shur, M.

2016-05-01

An alternative approach of using a distributed transmission line analogy for solving transport equations for ballistic nanostructures is applied for solving the three-dimensional problem of electron transport in gated ballistic nanostructures with periodically changing width. The structures with varying width allow for modulation of the electron drift velocity while keeping the plasma velocity constant. We predict that in such structures biased by a constant current, a periodic modulation of the electron drift velocity due to the varying width results in the instability of the plasma waves if the electron drift velocity to plasma wave velocity ratio changes from below to above unity. The physics of such instability is similar to that of the sonic boom, but, in the periodically modulated structures, this analog of the sonic boom is repeated many times leading to a larger increment of the instability. The constant plasma velocity in the sections of different width leads to resonant excitation of the unstable plasma modes with varying bias current. This effect (that we refer to as the superplasmonic boom condition) results in a strong enhancement of the instability. The predicted instability involves the oscillating dipole charge carried by the plasma waves. The plasmons can be efficiently coupled to the terahertz electromagnetic radiation due to the periodic geometry of the gated structure. Our estimates show that the analyzed instability should enable powerful tunable terahertz electronic sources.

Localization of intense electromagnetic waves in a relativistically hot plasma.

PubMed

Shukla, P K; Eliasson, B

2005-02-18

We consider nonlinear interactions between intense short electromagnetic waves (EMWs) and a relativistically hot electron plasma that supports relativistic electron holes (REHs). It is shown that such EMW-REH interactions are governed by a coupled nonlinear system of equations composed of a nonlinear Schro dinger equation describing the dynamics of the EMWs and the Poisson-relativistic Vlasov system describing the dynamics of driven REHs. The present nonlinear system of equations admits both a linearly trapped discrete number of eigenmodes of the EMWs in a quasistationary REH and a modification of the REH by large-amplitude trapped EMWs. Computer simulations of the relativistic Vlasov and Maxwell-Poisson system of equations show complex interactions between REHs loaded with localized EMWs.

On a nonlinear state of the electromagnetic ion/ion cyclotron instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cremer, M.; Scholer, M.

We have investigated the nonlinear properties of the electromagnetic ion/ion cyclotron instability (EMIIC) by means of hybrid simulations (macroparticle ions, massless electron fluid). The instability is driven by the relative (super-Alfvénic) streaming of two field-aligned ion beams in a low beta plasma (ion thermal pressure to magnetic field pressure) and may be of importance in the plasma sheet boundary layer. As shown in previously reported simulations the waves propagate obliquely to the magnetic field and heat the ions in the perpendicular direction as the relative beam velocity decreases. By running the simulation to large times it can be shown that the large temperature anisotropy leads to the ion cyclotron instability (IC) with parallel propagating Alfvén ion cyclotron waves. This is confirmed by numerically solving the electromagnetic dispersion relation. An application of this property to the plasma sheet boundary layer is discussed.

Fusion yield: Guderley model and Tsallis statistics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haubold, H. J.; Kumar, D.

2011-02-01

The reaction rate probability integral is extended from Maxwell-Boltzmann approach to a more general approach by using the pathway model introduced by Mathai in 2005 (A pathway to matrix-variate gamma and normal densities. Linear Algebr. Appl. 396, 317-328). The extended thermonuclear reaction rate is obtained in the closed form via a Meijer's G-function and the so-obtained G-function is represented as a solution of a homogeneous linear differential equation. A physical model for the hydrodynamical process in a fusion plasma-compressed and laser-driven spherical shock wave is used for evaluating the fusion energy integral by integrating the extended thermonuclear reaction rate integral over the temperature. The result obtained is compared with the standard fusion yield obtained by Haubold and John in 1981 (Analytical representation of the thermonuclear reaction rate and fusion energy production in a spherical plasma shock wave. Plasma Phys. 23, 399-411). An interpretation for the pathway parameter is also given.

Kinetic Interactions Between the Solar Wind and Lunar Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halekas, J. S.; Poppe, A. R.; Fatemi, S.; Turner, D. L.; Holmstrom, M.

2016-12-01

Despite their relatively weak strength, small scale, and incoherence, lunar magnetic anomalies can affect the incoming solar wind flow. The plasma interaction with lunar magnetic fields drives significant compressions of the solar wind plasma and magnetic field, deflections of the incoming flow, and a host of plasma waves ranging from the ULF to the electrostatic range. Recent work suggests that the large-scale features of the solar wind-magnetic anomaly interactions may be driven by ion-ion instabilities excited by reflected ions, raising the possibility that they are analogous to ion foreshock phenomena. Indeed, despite their small scale, many of the phenomena observed near lunar magnetic anomalies appear to have analogues in the foreshock regions of terrestrial planets. We discuss the charged particle distributions, fields, and waves observed near lunar magnetic anomalies, and place them in a context with the foreshocks of the Earth, Mars, and other solar system objects.

Observation of Langmuir Cascade in Single Hot Spot Laser-Plasma Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, R. P.; Montgomery, D. S.; Fernandez, J. C.; Focia, R. J.

2001-10-01

We present results from the sixth in a series of experiments designed to investigate the interaction of a single laser hot spot, or speckle, with a preformed, quasi-homogeneous plasma. The experiments were conducted at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) using the TRIDENT laser. Thomson scattering was used to probe plasma waves driven by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) and structure was observed in the scattered spectra consistent with multiple steps of the Langmuir decay instability (LDI).(R. J. Focia et al., PSFC Report PSFC/JA-01-17, M.I.T.) The experimental setup is described. The Thomson scattered spectra, resolved in both wavelength versus time and wavelength versus wave vector (effectively ω vs. k), are well-correlated with measurements of the backscattered SRS light and calculations based on linear theory. Parameter regimes are identified in which the LDI cascade exists.

Transport and discrete particle noise in gyrokinetic simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, Thomas; Lee, W. W.

2006-10-01

We present results from our recent investigations regarding the effects of discrete particle noise on the long-time behavior and transport properties of gyrokinetic particle-in-cell simulations. It is found that the amplitude of nonlinearly saturated drift waves is unaffected by discreteness-induced noise in plasmas whose behavior is dominated by a single mode in the saturated state. We further show that the scaling of this noise amplitude with particle count is correctly predicted by the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, even though the drift waves have driven the plasma from thermal equilibrium. As well, we find that the long-term behavior of the saturated system is unaffected by discreteness-induced noise even when multiple modes are included. Additional work utilizing a code with both total-f and δf capabilities is also presented, as part of our efforts to better understand the long- time balance between entropy production, collisional dissipation, and particle/heat flux in gyrokinetic plasmas.

Saturation mechanisms of backward stimulated Raman scattering in a one-dimensional geometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Friou, A.; Bénisti, D.; Gremillet, L.

2013-10-15

In this paper, we investigate the saturation mechanisms of backward stimulated Raman scattering (BSRS) induced by nonlinear kinetic effects. In particular, we stress the importance of accounting for both the nonlinear frequency shift of the electron plasma wave and the growth of sidebands, in order to understand what stops the coherent growth of Raman scattering. Using a Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal approach, we provide an estimate for the maximum amplitude reached by a BSRS-driven plasma wave after the phase of monotonic growth. This estimate is in very good agreement with the results from kinetic simulations of stimulated Raman scattering using both a Vlasovmore » and a Particle in Cell code. Our analysis, which may be generalized to a multidimensional geometry, should provide a means to estimate the limits of backward Raman amplification or the effectiveness of strategies that aim at strongly reducing Raman reflectivity in a fusion plasma.« less

PROTON HEATING BY PICK-UP ION DRIVEN CYCLOTRON WAVES IN THE OUTER HELIOSPHERE: HYBRID EXPANDING BOX SIMULATIONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hellinger, Petr; Trávníček, Pavel M., E-mail: petr.hellinger@asu.cas.cz

Using a one-dimensional hybrid expanding box model, we investigate properties of the solar wind in the outer heliosphere. We assume a proton–electron plasma with a strictly transverse ambient magnetic field and, aside from the expansion, we take into account the influence of a continuous injection of cold pick-up protons through the charge-exchange process between the solar wind protons and hydrogen of interstellar origin. The injected cold pick-up protons form a ring distribution function, which rapidly becomes unstable, and generate Alfvén cyclotron waves. The Alfvén cyclotron waves scatter pick-up protons to a spherical shell distribution function that thickens over that timemore » owing to the expansion-driven cooling. The Alfvén cyclotron waves heat solar wind protons in the perpendicular direction (with respect to the ambient magnetic field) through cyclotron resonance. At later times, the Alfvén cyclotron waves become parametrically unstable and the generated ion-acoustic waves heat protons in the parallel direction through Landau resonance. The resulting heating of the solar wind protons is efficient on the expansion timescale.« less

Upper-hybrid wave-driven Alfvenic turbulence in magnetized dusty plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Misra, A. P.; Banerjee, S.

The nonlinear dynamics of coupled electrostatic upper-hybrid (UH) and Alfven waves (AWs) is revisited in a magnetized electron-ion plasma with charged dust impurities. A pair of nonlinear equations that describe the interaction of UH wave envelopes (including the relativistic electron mass increase) and the density as well as the compressional magnetic field perturbations associated with the AWs are solved numerically to show that many coherent solitary patterns can be excited and saturated due to modulational instability of unstable UH waves. The evolution of these solitary patterns is also shown to appear in the states of spatiotemporal coherence, temporal as wellmore » as spatiotemporal chaos, due to collision and fusion among the patterns in stochastic motion. Furthermore, these spatiotemporal features are demonstrated by the analysis of wavelet power spectra. It is found that a redistribution of wave energy takes place to higher harmonic modes with small wavelengths, which, in turn, results in the onset of Alfvenic turbulence in dusty magnetoplasmas. Such a scenario can occur in the vicinity of Saturn's magnetosphere as many electrostatic solitary structures have been observed there by the Cassini spacecraft.« less

Extending fullwave core ICRF simulation to SOL and antenna regions using FEM solver

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiraiwa, S.; Wright, J. C.

2016-10-01

A full wave simulation approach to solve a driven RF waves problem including hot core, SOL plasmas and possibly antenna is presented. This approach allows for exploiting advantages of two different way of representing wave field, namely treating spatially dispersive hot conductivity in a spectral solver and handling complicated geometry in SOL/antenna region using an unstructured mesh. Here, we compute a mode set in each region with the RF electric field excitation on the connecting boundary between core and edge regions. A mode corresponding to antenna excitation is also computed. By requiring the continuity of tangential RF electric and magnetic fields, the solution is obtained as unique superposition of these modes. In this work, TORIC core spectral solver is modified to allow for mode excitation, and the edge region of diverted Alcator C-Mod plasma is modeled using COMSOL FEM package. The reconstructed RF field is similar in the core region to TORIC stand-alone simulation. However, it contains higher poloidal modes near the edge and captures a wave bounced and propagating in the poloidal direction near the vacuum-plasma boundary. These features could play an important role when the single power pass absorption is modest. This new capability will enable antenna coupling calculations with a realistic load plasma, including collisional damping in realistic SOL plasma and other loss mechanisms such as RF sheath rectification. USDoE Awards DE-FC02-99ER54512, DE-FC02-01ER54648.

Temperature Control in Radiatively Cooled Plasmas through Autoresonant Drive of TG-waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabantsev, A. A.; Driscoll, C. F.

2013-10-01

We demonstrate accurate temperature control of pure electron plasmas, using driven wave heating ``autoresonantly'' in balance with cyclotron cooling. The mθ = 0 Trivelpiece-Gould wave frequencies are temperature-dependent, asfTG (T) =fTG (0) * [ 1 + ɛT ] ; and they exhibit a narrow Lorentzian absorption response R (f) with width γ ~10-3fTG . A continuous drive amplitude Adr then produces plasma heating power Ph ~Adr2 R (fdr) , which can exactly balance the cyclotron cooling powerPc ~ T /τc . This balance point is autoresonantly stable when fdr ~fTG (T) - γ : if T increases, then fTG (T) also increases and fdr gets further from resonance, so the heating power decreases and T decreases back to the balance point. (The second power-balance point at fdr ~fTG (T) + γ is unstable.) In practice, we use a mz = 3 TG wave having frequency range 5 . 2

Electrostatic Wave Generation and Transverse Ion Acceleration by Alfvenic Wave Components of BBELF Turbulence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Nagendra; Khazanov, George; Mukhter, Ali

2007-01-01

We present results here from 2.5-D particle-in-cell simulations showing that the electrostatic (ES) components of broadband extremely low frequency (BBELF) waves could possibly be generated by cross-field plasma instabilities driven by the relative drifts between the heavy and light ion species in the electromagnetic (EM) Alfvenic component of the BBELF waves in a multi-ion plasma. The ES components consist of ion cyclotron as well as lower hybrid modes. We also demonstrate that the ES wave generation is directly involved in the transverse acceleration of ions (TAI) as commonly measured with the BBELF wave events. The heating is affected by ion cyclotron resonance in the cyclotron modes and Landau resonance in the lower hybrid waves. In the simulation we drive the plasma by the transverse electric field, E(sub y), of the EM waves; the frequency of E(sub y), omega(sub d), is varied from a frequency below the heavy ion cyclotron frequency, OMEGA(sub h), to below the light ion cyclotron frequency, OMEGA(sub i). We have also performed simulations for E(sub y) having a continuous spectrum given by a power law, namely, |Ey| approx. omega(sub d) (exp -alpha), where the exponent alpha = _, 1, and 2 in three different simulations. The driving electric field generates polarization and ExB drifts of the ions and electrons. When the interspecies relative drifts are sufficiently large, they drive electrostatic waves, which cause perpendicular heating of both light and heavy ions. The transverse ion heating found here is discussed in relation to observations from Cluster, FAST and Freja.

Generation of forerunner electron beam during interaction of ion beam pulse with plasma

DOE PAGES

Hara, Kentaro; Kaganovich, Igor D.; Startsev, Edward A.

2018-01-01

The long-time evolution of the two-stream instability of a cold tenuous ion beam pulse propagating through the background plasma with density much higher than the ion beam density is investigated using a large-scale one-dimensional electrostatic kinetic simulation. The three stages of the instability are investigated in detail. After the initial linear growth and saturation by the electron trapping, a portion of the initially trapped electrons becomes detrapped and moves ahead of the ion beam pulse forming a forerunner electron beam, which causes a secondary two-stream instability that preheats the upstream plasma electrons. Consequently, the self-consistent nonlinear-driven turbulent state is setmore » up at the head of the ion beam pulse with the saturated plasma wave sustained by the influx of the cold electrons from upstream of the beam that lasts until the final stage when the beam ions become trapped by the plasma wave. Finally, the beam ion trapping leads to the nonlinear heating of the beam ions that eventually extinguishes the instability.« less

Generation of forerunner electron beam during interaction of ion beam pulse with plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hara, Kentaro; Kaganovich, Igor D.; Startsev, Edward A.

The long-time evolution of the two-stream instability of a cold tenuous ion beam pulse propagating through the background plasma with density much higher than the ion beam density is investigated using a large-scale one-dimensional electrostatic kinetic simulation. The three stages of the instability are investigated in detail. After the initial linear growth and saturation by the electron trapping, a portion of the initially trapped electrons becomes detrapped and moves ahead of the ion beam pulse forming a forerunner electron beam, which causes a secondary two-stream instability that preheats the upstream plasma electrons. Consequently, the self-consistent nonlinear-driven turbulent state is setmore » up at the head of the ion beam pulse with the saturated plasma wave sustained by the influx of the cold electrons from upstream of the beam that lasts until the final stage when the beam ions become trapped by the plasma wave. Finally, the beam ion trapping leads to the nonlinear heating of the beam ions that eventually extinguishes the instability.« less

Numerical study of bandwidth effect on stimulated Raman backscattering in nonlinear regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, H. Y.; Xiao, C. Z.; Zou, D. B.; Li, X. Z.; Yin, Y.; Shao, F. Q.; Zhuo, H. B.

2018-06-01

Nonlinear behaviors of stimulated Raman scattering driven by finite bandwidth pumps are studied by one dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. The broad spectral feature of plasma waves and backscattered light reveals the different coupling and growth mechanisms, which lead to the suppression effect before the deep nonlinear stage. It causes nonperiodic plasma wave packets and reduces packet and etching velocities. Based on the negative frequency shift and electron energy distribution, the long-time evolution of instability can be divided into two stages by the relaxation time. It is a critical time after which the alleviation effects of nonlinear frequency shift and hot electrons are replaced by enhancement. Thus, the broadband pump suppresses instability at early time. However, it aggravates in the deep nonlinear stage by lifting the saturation level due to the coupling of the incident pump with each frequency shifted plasma wave. Our simulation results show that the nonlinear effects are valid in a bandwidth range from 2.25% to 3.0%, and the physics are similar within a nearby parameter space.

On the estimation of heating effects in the atmosphere because of seismic activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meister, Claudia-Veronika; Hoffmann, Dieter H. H.

2014-05-01

The dielectric model for waves in the Earth's ionosphere is further developed and applied to possible electro-magnetic phenomena in seismic regions. In doing so, in comparison to the well-known dielectric wave model by R.O. Dendy [Plasma dynamics, Oxford University Press, 1990] for homogeneous systems, the stratification of the atmosphere is taken into account. Moreover, within the frame of many-fluid magnetohydrodynamics also the momentum transfer between the charged and neutral particles is considered. Discussed are the excitation of Alfvén and magnetoacoustic waves, but also their variations by the neutral gas winds. Further, also other current driven waves like Farley-Buneman ones are studied. In the work, models of the altitudinal scales of the plasma parameters and the electromagnetic wave field are derived. In case of the electric wave field, a method is given to calculate the altitudinal scale based on the Poisson equation for the electric field and the magnetohydrodynamic description of the particles. Further, expressions are derived to estimate density, pressure, and temperatur changes in the E-layer because of the generation of the electromagnetic waves. Last not least, formulas are obtained to determine the dispersion and polarisation of the excited electromagnetic waves. These are applied to find quantitative results for the turbulent heating of the ionospheric E-layer. Concerning the calculation of the dispersion relation, in comparison to a former work by Meister et al. [Contr. Plasma Phys. 53 (4-5), 406-413, 2013], where a numerical double-iteration method was suggested to obtain results for the wave dispersion relations, now further analytical calculations are performed. In doing so, different polynomial dependencies of the wave frequencies from the wave vectors are treated. This helped to restrict the numerical calculations to only one iteration process.

A geometric theory of waves and its applications to plasma physics.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ruiz, Daniel

Waves play an essential role in many aspects of plasma dynamics. For example, they are indispensable in plasma manipulation and diagnostics. Although the physics of waves is well understood in the context of relatively simple problems, difficulties arise when studying waves that propagate in inhomogeneous or nonlinear media. This thesis presents a new systematic wave theory based on phase-space variational principles. In this dissertation, waves are treated as geometric objects of a variational theory rather than formal solutions of specific PDEs. This approach simplifies calculations, highlights the underlying wave symmetries, and leads to improved modeling of wave dynamics. Specifically, thismore » dissertation presents two important breakthroughs that were obtained in the general theory of waves. The first main contribution of the present dissertation is an extension of the theory of geometrical optics (GO) in order to include polarization effects. Even when diffraction is ignored, the GO ray equations are not entirely accurate. This occurs because GO treats wave rays as classical particles described by their position and momentum coordinates. However, vector waves have another degree of freedom, their polarization. As a result, wave rays can behave as particles with spin and show polarization dynamics, such as polarization precession and polarization-driven bending of ray trajectories. In this thesis, the theory of GO is reformulated as a first-principle Lagrangian wave theory that governs both mentioned polarization phenomena simultaneously. The theory was applied successfully to several systems of interest, such as relativistic spin-$1/2$ particles and radio-frequency waves propagating in magnetized plasmas. The second main contribution of this thesis is the development of a phase-space method to study basic properties of nonlinear wave--wave interactions. Specifically, a general theory is proposed that describes the ponderomotive refraction that a wave can experience when interacting with another wave. It is also shown that phase-space methods can be useful to study problems in the field of wave turbulence, such as the nonlinear interaction of high-frequency waves with large-scale structures. Overall, the results obtained can serve as a basis for future studies on more complex nonlinear wave--wave interactions, such as modulational instabilities in general wave ensembles or wave turbulence.« less

Nonlinear evolution of energetic-particles-driven waves in collisionless plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shuhan; Liu, Jinyuan; Wang, Feng; Shen, Wei; Li, Dong

2018-06-01

A one-dimensional electrostatic collisionless particle-in-cell code has been developed to study the nonlinear interaction between electrostatic waves and energetic particles (EPs). For a single wave, the results are clear and agree well with the existing theories. For coexisting two waves, although the mode nonlinear coupling between two wave fields is ignored, the second-order phase space islands can still exist between first-order islands generated by the two waves. However, the second-order phase islands are not formed by the superposed wave fields and the perturbed motions of EPs induced by the combined effect of two main resonances make these structures in phase space. Owing to these second-order islands, energy can be transferred between waves, even if the overlap of two main resonances never occurs. Depending on the distance between the main resonance islands in velocity space, the second-order island can affect the nonlinear dynamics and saturations of waves.

Acoustically Driven Magnetized Target Fusion At General Fusion: An Overview

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Shea, Peter; Laberge, M.; Donaldson, M.; Delage, M.; the Fusion Team, General

2016-10-01

Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) involves compressing an initial magnetically confined plasma of about 1e23 m-3, 100eV, 7 Tesla, 20 cm radius, >100 μsec life with a 1000x volume compression in 100 microseconds. If near adiabatic compression is achieved, the final plasma of 1e26 m-3, 10keV, 700 Tesla, 2 cm radius, confined for 10 μsec would produce interesting fusion energy gain. General Fusion (GF) is developing an acoustic compression system using pneumatic pistons focusing a shock wave on the CT plasma in the center of a 3 m diameter sphere filled with liquid lead-lithium. Low cost driver, straightforward heat extraction, good tritium breeding ratio and excellent neutron protection could lead to a practical power plant. GF (65 employees) has an active plasma R&D program including both full scale and reduced scale plasma experiments and simulation of both. Although acoustic driven compression of full scale plasmas is the end goal, present compression studies use reduced scale plasmas and chemically accelerated Aluminum liners. We will review results from our plasma target development, motivate and review the results of dynamic compression field tests and briefly describe the work to date on the acoustic driver front.

PW-class laser-driven super acceleration systems in underdense plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yano, Masahiro; Zhidkov, Alexei; Kodama, Ryosuke

2017-10-01

Probing laser driven super-acceleration systems can be important tool to understand physics related to vacuum, space time, and particle acceleration. We show two proposals to probe the systems through Hawking-like effect using PW class lasers and x-ray free electron lasers. For that we study the interaction of ultrahigh intense laser pulses with intensity 1022 -1024 W/cm2 and underdense plasmas including ion motion and plasma radiation for the first time. While the acceleration w a0ωp /ωL in a wake is not maximal, the pulse propagation is much stable. The effect is that a constantly accelerated detector with acceleration w sees a boson's thermal bath at temperature ℏw / 2 πkB c . We present two designs for x-ray scattering from highly accelerated electrons produced in the plasma irradiated by intense laser pulses for such detection. Properly chosen observation angles enable us to distinguish spectral broadening from Doppler shift with a reasonable photon number. Also, ion motion and radiation damping on the interaction are investigated via fully relativistic 3D particle-in-cell simulation. We observe high quality electron bunches under super-acceleration when transverse plasma waves are excited by ponderomotive force producing plasma channel.

Internal transport barrier triggered by non-linear lower hybrid wave deposition under condition of beam-driven toroidal rotation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Q. D., E-mail: qgao@swip.ac.cn; Budny, R. V.

2015-03-15

By using gyro-Landau fluid transport model (GLF23), time-dependent integrated modeling is carried out using TRANSP to explore the dynamic process of internal transport barrier (ITB) formation in the neutral beam heating discharges. When the current profile is controlled by LHCD (lower hybrid current drive), with appropriate neutral beam injection, the nonlinear interplay between the transport determined gradients in the plasma temperature (T{sub i,e}) and toroidal velocity (V{sub ϕ}) and the E×B flow shear (including q-profile) produces transport bifurcations, generating spontaneously a stepwise growing ITB. In the discharge, the constraints imposed by the wave propagation condition causes interplay of the LHmore » driven current distribution with the plasma configuration modification, which constitutes non-linearity in the LH wave deposition. The non-linear effects cause bifurcation in LHCD, generating two distinct quasi-stationary reversed magnetic shear configurations. The change of current profile during the transition period between the two quasi-stationary states results in increase of the E×B shearing flow arising from toroidal rotation. The turbulence transport suppression by sheared E×B flow during the ITB development is analysed, and the temporal evolution of some parameters characterized the plasma confinement is examined. Ample evidence shows that onset of the ITB development is correlated with the enhancement of E×B shearing rate caused by the bifurcation in LHCD. It is suggested that the ITB triggering is associated with the non-linear effects of the LH power deposition.« less

Modeling dynamic plasmas driven by ultraintense nano-focused x-ray laser pulses in solid iron targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royle, Ryan; Sentoku, Yasuhiko; Mancini, Roberto

2017-10-01

The hard x-ray free electron laser has proven to be a valuable tool for high energy density (HED) physics as it is able to produce well-characterized samples of HED matter at exactly solid density and homogeneous temperatures. However, if the x-ray pulses are focused to sub-micron spot sizes, where peak intensities can exceed 1020 W/cm2, the plasmas driven by sources of non-thermal photoelectrons and Auger electrons can be highly dynamic and so cannot be modeled by atomic kinetics or fluid codes. We apply the 2D/3D particle-in-cell code, PICLS-which has been extended with numerous physics models to enable the simulation of XFEL-driven plasmas-to the modeling of such dynamic plasmas driven by nano-focused XFEL pulses in solid iron targets. In the case of the smallest focal spot investigated of just 100 nm in diameter, keV plasmas induce strong radial E-fields that accelerate keV ions radially as well as sheath fields that accelerate surface ions to hundreds of keV. The heated spot, which is initially larger than the laser spot due to the kinetic nature of the fast Auger electrons, expands as ion and electron waves propagate radially, leaving a low density region along the laser axis. This research was supported by the US DOE-OFES under Grant No. DE-SC0008827, the DOE-NNSA under Grant No. DE-NA0002075, and the JSPS KAKENHI under Grant No. JP15K21767.

Spiral waves in driven dusty plasma medium: Generalized hydrodynamic fluid description

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Sandeep; Patel, Bhavesh; Das, Amita

2018-04-01

Spiral waves are observed in many natural phenomena. They have been extensively represented by the mathematical FitzHugh-Nagumo model [Barkley et al., Phys. Rev. A 42, 2489 (1990)] of excitable media. Also, in incompressible fluid simulations, the excitation of thermal spiral waves has been reported by Li et al. [Phys. of Fluids 22, 011701 (2010)]. In the present paper, the spatiotemporal development of spiral waves in the context of weak and strong coupling limits has been shown. While the weakly coupled medium has been represented by a simple fluid description, for strong coupling, a generalized visco-elastic fluid description has been employed. The medium has been driven by an external force in the form of a rotating electric field. It is shown that when the amplitude of force is small, the density perturbations in the medium are also small. In this case, the excitations do not develop as a spiral wave. Only when the amplitude of force is high so as to drive the density perturbations to nonlinear amplitudes does the spiral density wave formation occurs. The role of the forcing frequency and the effect of strong coupling and the sound velocity of medium in the formation and evolution of spiral waves have been investigated in detail.

Laboratory studies of the coronal heating problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savin, Daniel Wolf; Bose, Sayak; Hahn, Michael; Vincena, Steve; Gekelman, Walter; Carter, Troy; Tripathi, Shreekrishna

2018-06-01

The solar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun at 106 K, is ~ 200 times hotter than the underlying visible surface. Incompressible Alfvén waves excited by convective motions at the surface of the Sun are posited to transport energy to the corona. Strong gradients in Alfvén speed at low heights in the corona are believed to be responsible for wave-driven heating of the plasma. These gradients may cause reflection of the incident waves, enabling the generation of turbulence due to nonlinear interaction between the counter propagating waves and subsequent dissipation of the wave energy at smaller length scales. We are studying propagation of Alfvén waves in the laboratory using scaled plasma parameters to approximate the solar corona. The experiments are conducted using the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at the University of California, Los Angeles. We have explored the effectiveness of the longitudinal gradients in the Alfvén speed at reducing the energy of the Alfvén waves propagating through it in the linear regime. Our results show that the energy of the transmitted Alfvén waves decreases as the inhomogeneity parameter λA/LA increases. Here, λA is the wavelength of the Alfvén wave and LA is the Alfvén speed scale length. The inhomogeneity parameter is changed in two ways. In the first set of the experiments, it is changed by varying λA, while holding LA constant. In the second set, λA/LA is changed by varying LA, while holding λA constant. The decrease in transmittance of the wave energy with increase in λA/LA, for both the above cases, are found to be agreement with each other.

A second-order theory for transverse ion heating and momentum coupling due to electrostatic ion cyclotron waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Ronald H.; Winske, Dan; Gary, S. P.

1992-01-01

A second-order theory for electrostatic instabilities driven by counterstreaming ion beams is developed which describes momentum coupling and heating of the plasma via wave-particle interactions. Exchange rates between the waves and particles are derived, which are suitable for the fluid equations simulating microscopic effects on macroscopic scales. Using a fully kinetic simulation, the electrostatic ion cyclotron instability due to counterstreaming H(+) beams has been simulated. A power spectrum from the kinetic simulation is used to evaluate second-order exchange rates. The calculated heating and momentum loss from second-order theory is compared to the numerical simulation.

A Census of Plasma Waves and Structures Associated With an Injection Front in the Inner Magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malaspina, David M.; Ukhorskiy, Aleksandr; Chu, Xiangning; Wygant, John

2018-04-01

Now that observations have conclusively established that the inner magnetosphere is abundantly populated with kinetic electric field structures and nonlinear waves, attention has turned to quantifying the ability of these structures and waves to scatter and accelerate inner magnetospheric plasma populations. A necessary step in that quantification is determining the distribution of observed structure and wave properties (e.g., occurrence rates, amplitudes, and spatial scales). Kinetic structures and nonlinear waves have broadband signatures in frequency space, and consequently, high-resolution time domain electric and magnetic field data are required to uniquely identify such structures and waves as well as determine their properties. However, most high-resolution fields data are collected with a strong bias toward high-amplitude signals in a preselected frequency range, strongly biasing observations of structure and wave properties. In this study, an ˜45 min unbroken interval of 16,384 samples/s field burst data, encompassing an electron injection event, is examined. This data set enables an unbiased census of the kinetic structures and nonlinear waves driven by this electron injection, as well as determination of their "typical" properties. It is found that the properties determined using this unbiased burst data are considerably different than those inferred from amplitude-biased burst data, with significant implications for wave-particle interactions due to kinetic structures and nonlinear waves in the inner magnetosphere.

Experimental characterization of broadband electrostatic noise due to plasma compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubois, Ami M.; Thomas, Edward, Jr.; Amatucci, William E.; Ganguli, Gurudas

2015-11-01

For a wide variety of laboratory and space plasma environments, theory states that plasmas are unstable to transverse shear flows over a very broad frequency range, where the shear scale length (LE) compared to the ion gyro-radius (ρi) determines the character of the shear-driven instability that may prevail. During active periods in the Earth's magnetosphere, such sheared flows are intensified and broadband electrostatic noise (BEN) is often observed by satellites traversing natural boundary layers. An interpenetrating magnetized plasma configuration is used to create a transverse velocity shear profile similar to that found at natural space plasma boundary layers. The continuous variation and the associated transition of the instability regimes driven by the shear flow mechanism are demonstrated in a single laboratory experiment. For the first time, broadband wave emission, which is correlated to increasing/decreasing stress (i.e., ρi/LE) on a plasma boundary layer, is found under controlled and repeatable conditions. This result provides evidence that the compression/relaxation of a plasma boundary layer leads to a BEN signature and holds out the promise for understanding the cause and effect of the in situ observation of BEN by satellites. This project was supported with funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and NRL Base Funds.

Solar wind: Internal parameters driven by external source

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chertkov, A. D.

1995-01-01

A new concept interpreting solar wind parameters is suggested. The process of increasing twofold of a moving volume in the solar wind (with energy transfer across its surface which is comparable with its whole internal energy) is a more rapid process than the relaxation for the pressure. Thus, the solar wind is unique from the point of view of thermodynamics of irreversible processes. The presumptive source of the solar wind creation - the induction electric field of the solar origin - has very low entropy. The state of interplanetary plasma must be very far from the thermodynamic equilibrium. Plasma internal energy is contained mainly in non-degenerate forms (plasma waves, resonant plasma oscillations, electric currents). Microscopic oscillating electric fields in the solar wind plasma should be about 1 V/m. It allows one to describe the solar wind by simple dissipative MHD equations with small effective mean free path (required for hydrodynamical description), low value of electrical conductivity combined with very big apparent thermal conductivity (required for observed solar wind acceleration). These internal parameters are interrelated only due to their origin: they are externally driven. Their relation can change during the interaction of solar wind plasma with an obstacle (planet, spacecraft). The concept proposed can be verified by the special electric field measurements, not ruining the primordial plasma state.

Turbulence and wave particle interactions in solar-terrestrial plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dulk, G. A.; Goldman, M. V.; Toomre, J.

1985-01-01

Activities in the following study areas are reported: (1) particle and wave processes in solar flares; (2) solar convection zone turbulence; and (3) solar radiation emission. To investigate the amplification of cyclotron maser radiation in solar flares, a radio frequency. (RF) heating model was developed for the corona surrounding the energy release site. Then nonlinear simulations of compressible convection display prominent penetration by plumes into regions of stable stratification at the base of the solar convection zone, leading to the excitation of internal gravity waves there. Lastly, linear saturation of electron-beam-driven Langmuir waves by ambient density fluctuations, nonlinear saturation by strong turbulence processes, and radiation emission mechanisms are examined. An additional section discusses solar magnetic fields and hydromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous media, and the effect of magnetic fields on stellar oscillation.

Theoretical analysis on lower band cascade as a mechanism for multiband chorus in the Earth's magnetosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xinliang; Lu, Quanming; Wang, Shaojie; Wang, Shui

2018-05-01

Whistler-mode waves play a crucial role in controlling electron dynamics in the Earth's Van Allen radiation belt, which is increasingly important for spacecraft safety. Using THEMIS waveform data, Gao et al. [X. L. Gao, Q. Lu, J. Bortnik, W. Li, L. Chen, and S. Wang, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 2343-2350, 2016] have reported two multiband chorus events, wherein upper-band chorus appears at harmonics of lower-band chorus. They proposed that upper-band harmonic waves are excited through the nonlinear coupling between the electromagnetic and electrostatic components of lower-band chorus, a second-order effect called "lower band cascade". However, the theoretical explanation of lower band cascade was not thoroughly explained in the earlier work. In this paper, based on a cold plasma assumption, we have obtained the explicit nonlinear driven force of lower band cascade through a full nonlinear theoretical analysis, which includes both the ponderomotive force and coupling between electrostatic and electromagnetic components of the pump whistler wave. Moreover, we discover the existence of an efficient energy-transfer (E-t) channel from lower-band to upper-band whistler-mode waves during lower band cascade for the first time, which is also confirmed by PIC simulations. For lower-band whistler-mode waves with a small wave normal angle (WNA), the E-t channel is detected when the driven upper-band wave nearly satisfies the linear dispersion relation of whistler mode. While, for lower-band waves with a large WNA, the E-t channel is found when the lower-band wave is close to its resonant frequency, and the driven upper-band wave becomes quasi-electrostatic. Through this efficient channel, the harmonic upper band of whistler waves is generated through energy cascade from the lower band, and the two-band spectral structure of whistler waves is then formed. Both two types of banded whistler-mode spectrum have also been successfully reproduced by PIC simulations.

Experimental characterization of plasma formation and shockwave propagation induced by high power pulsed underwater electrical discharge.

PubMed

Claverie, A; Deroy, J; Boustie, M; Avrillaud, G; Chuvatin, A; Mazanchenko, E; Demol, G; Dramane, B

2014-06-01

High power pulsed electrical discharges into liquids are investigated for new industrial applications based on the efficiency of controlled shock waves. We present here new experimental data obtained by combination of detailed high speed imaging equipments. It allows the visualization of the very first instants of plasma discharge formation, and then the pulsations of the gaseous bubble with an accurate timing of events. The time history of the expansion/compression of this bubble leads to an estimation of the energy effectively transferred to water during the discharge. Finally, the consecutive shock generation driven by this pulsating bubble is optically monitored by shadowgraphs and schlieren setup. These data provide essential information about the geometrical pattern and chronometry associated with the shock wave generation and propagation.

Beam-plasma coupling physics in support of active experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yakymenko, K.; Delzanno, G. L.; Roytershteyn, V.

2017-12-01

The recent development of compact relativistic accelerators might open up a new era of active experiments in space, driven by important scientific and national security applications. Examples include using electron beams to trace magnetic field lines and establish causality between physical processes occurring in the magnetosphere and those in the ionosphere. Another example is the use of electron beams to trigger waves in the near-Earth environment. Waves could induce pitch-angle scattering and precipitation of energetic electrons, acting as an effective radiation belt remediation scheme. In this work, we revisit the coupling between an electron beam and a magnetized plasma in the framework of linear cold-plasma theory. We show that coupling can occur through two different regimes. In the first, a non-relativistic beam radiates through whistler waves. This is well known, and was in fact the focus of many rockets and space-shuttle campaigns aimed at demonstrating whistler emissions in the eighties. In the second regime, the beam radiates through extraordinary (R-X) modes. Nonlinear simulations with a highly-accurate Vlasov code support the theoretical results qualitatively and demonstrate that the radiated power through R-X modes can be much larger than in the whistler regime. Test-particle simulations in the wave electromagnetic field will also be presented to assess the efficiency of these waves in inducing pitch-angle scattering via wave-particle interactions. Finally, the implications of these results for a rocket active experiment in the ionosphere and for a radiation belt remediation scheme will be discussed.

Prospects for Off-axis Current Drive via High Field Side Lower Hybrid Current Drive in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wukitch, S. J.; Shiraiwa, S.; Wallace, G. M.; Bonoli, P. T.; Holcomb, C.; Park, J. M.; Pinsker, R. I.

2017-10-01

An outstanding challenge for an economical, steady state tokamak is efficient off-axis current drive scalable to reactors. Previous studies have focused on high field side (HFS) launch of lower hybrid waves for current drive (LHCD) in double null configurations in reactor grade plasmas. The goal of this work is to find a HFS LHCD scenario for DIII-D that balances coupling, power penetration and damping. The higher magnetic field on the HFS improves wave accessibility, which allows for lower n||waves to be launched. These waves penetrate farther into the plasma core before damping at higher Te yielding a higher current drive efficiency. Utilizing advanced ray tracing and Fokker Planck simulation tools (GENRAY+CQL3D), wave penetration, absorption and drive current profiles in high performance DIII-D H-Mode plasmas were investigated. We found LH scenarios with single pass absorption, excellent wave penetration to r/a 0.6-0.8, FWHM r/a=0.2 and driven current up to 0.37 MA/MW coupled. These simulations indicate that HFS LHCD has potential to achieve efficient off-axis current drive in DIII-D and the latest results will be presented. Work supported by U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences, using User Facility DIII-D, under Award No. DE-FC02-04ER54698 and Contract No. DE-FC02-01ER54648 under Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing Initiative.

Nonlinear Electron and Ion Density Modulations Driven by Interfering High-Intensity Laser Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, S.; Zhang, P.; Saleh, N.; Sheng, Z. M.; Widjaja, C.; Umstadter, D.

2002-11-01

The optical spectrum from interaction of two crossed ultra short laser beams (400 fs) with underdense plasma is measured at various angles. Enhancement and broadening of the spectrum in the forward direction of one of the beams shows evidence of energy transfer between the two laser beams(G. Shvets, N. J. Fisch, A. Pukhov, and J. Meyer-ter-Vehn, Phys. Rev. E 60, 2218 (1999).), which is confirmed by a 2-D PIC simulation. The spectrum and scattered power indicate that a large amplitude electron density modulation is driven, which is attributed to the ponderomotive force of the interference, in agreement with simple analysis and simulation(δn/n_0>10). Stokes and anti-Stokes satellites reveals that the energy transfer is accompanied by a large amplitude nonlinear ion acoustic wave created by the laser interference in the strongly driven limit. The wavelength shift indicates that the ion acoustic wave's speed is 2.3×10^6m/s, corresponding to the electron temperature 119 keV, which is attributed to stochastic heating, also found in the simulation. Besides being of interest in basic plasma physics, this research is also relevant to fast igniter fusion or ion acceleration experiments, in which a laser pulse may potentially beat with a reflected weaker pulse, with intensities comparable to those used in the experiment(Y. Sentoku, et al., Appl. Phys. B 74, 207-215 (2002).).

Using AORSA to simulate helicon waves in DIIID and ITER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lau, Cornwall H; Jaeger, E. F.; Berry, Lee Alan

2014-01-01

Recent efforts by Vdovin [1] and Prater [2] have shown that helicon waves (fast waves at ~30 ion cyclotron frequency harmonic) may be an attractive option for driving efficient off-axis current drive during non-inductive tokamak operation for DIIID, ITER and DEMO. For DIIID scenarios, the ray tracing code GENRAY has been extensively used to study helicon current drive efficiency and location as a function many plasma parameters. has some limitations on absorption at high cyclotron harmonics, so the full wave code AORSA, which is applicable to arbitrary Larmor radius and can therefore resolve high ion cyclotron harmonics, has been recentlymore » used to validate the GENRAY model. It will be shown that the GENRAY and AORSA driven current drive profiles are comparable for the envisioned high temperature and density advanced scenarios for DIIID, where there is high single pass absorption due to electron Landau damping. AORSA results will be shown for various plasma parameters for DIIID and for ITER. Computational difficulties in achieving these AORSA results will also be discussed. * Work supported by USDOE Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 [1] V. L. Vdovin, Plasma Physics Reports, V.39, No.2, 2013 [2] R. Prater et al, Nucl. Fusion, 52, 083024, 2014« less

Spectroscopic measurements of plasma emission light for plasma-based acceleration experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippi, F.; Anania, M. P.; Biagioni, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Ferrario, M.; Mostacci, A.; Palumbo, L.; Zigler, A.

2016-09-01

Advanced particle accelerators are based on the excitation of large amplitude plasma waves driven by either electron or laser beams. Future experiments scheduled at the SPARC_LAB test facility aim to demonstrate the acceleration of high brightness electron beams through the so-called resonant Plasma Wakefield Acceleration scheme in which a train of electron bunches (drivers) resonantly excites wakefields into a preformed hydrogen plasma; the last bunch (witness) injected at the proper accelerating phase gains energy from the wake. The quality of the accelerated beam depends strongly on plasma density and its distribution along the acceleration length. The measurements of plasma density of the order of 1016-1017 cm-3 can be performed with spectroscopic measurements of the plasma-emitted light. The measured density distribution for hydrogen filled capillary discharge with both Balmer alpha and Balmer beta lines and shot-to-shot variation are here reported.

Regimes of enhanced electromagnetic emission in beam-plasma interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Timofeev, I. V.; Annenkov, V. V.; Arzhannikov, A. V.

2015-11-01

The ways to improve the efficiency of electromagnetic waves generation in laboratory experiments with high-current relativistic electron beams injected into a magnetized plasma are discussed. It is known that such a beam can lose, in a plasma, a significant part of its energy by exciting a high level of turbulence and heating plasma electrons. Beam-excited plasma oscillations may simultaneously participate in nonlinear processes resulting in a fundamental and second harmonic emissions. It is obvious, however, that in the developed plasma turbulence the role of these emissions in the total energy balance is always negligible. In this paper, we investigate whether electromagnetic radiation generated in the beam-plasma system can be sufficiently enhanced by the direct linear conversion of resonant beam-driven modes into electromagnetic ones on preformed regular inhomogeneities of plasma density. Due to the high power of relativistic electron beams, the mechanism discussed may become the basis for the generator of powerful sub-terahertz radiation.

Validation of a turbulent Kelvin-Helmholtz shear layer model using a high-energy-density OMEGA laser experiment.

PubMed

Hurricane, O A; Smalyuk, V A; Raman, K; Schilling, O; Hansen, J F; Langstaff, G; Martinez, D; Park, H-S; Remington, B A; Robey, H F; Greenough, J A; Wallace, R; Di Stefano, C A; Drake, R P; Marion, D; Krauland, C M; Kuranz, C C

2012-10-12

Following the successful demonstration of an OMEGA laser-driven platform for generating and studying nearly two-dimensional unstable plasma shear layers [Hurricane et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 056305 (2009); Harding et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 045005 (2009)], this Letter reports on the first quantitative measurement of turbulent mixing in a high-energy-density plasma. As a blast wave moves parallel to an unperturbed interface between a low-density foam and a high-density plastic, baroclinic vorticity is deposited at the interface and a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability-driven turbulent mixing layer is created in the postshock flow due to surface roughness. The spatial scale and density profile of the turbulent layer are diagnosed using x-ray radiography with sufficiently small uncertainty so that the data can be used to ~0.17 μm) in the postshock plasma flow are consistent with an "inertial subrange," within which a Kolmogorov turbulent energy cascade can be active. An illustration of comparing the data set with the predictions of a two-equation turbulence model in the ares radiation hydrodynamics code is also presented.

Measurement of Laser Plasma Instability (LPI) Driven Light Scattering from Plasmas Produced by Nike KrF Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Jaechul; Weaver, J. L.; Phillips, L.; Obenschain, S. P.; Schmitt, A. J.; Kehne, D. M.; Serlin, V.; Lehmberg, R. H.; McLean, E. A.; Manka, C. K.

2010-11-01

With short wavelength (248 nm), large bandwidth (1˜3 THz), and ISI beam smoothing, Nike KrF laser provides unique research opportunities and potential for direct-drive inertial confinement fusion. Previous Nike experiments observed two plasmon decay (TPD) driven signals from CH plasmas at the laser intensities above ˜2x10^15 W/cm^2 with total laser energies up to 1 kJ of ˜350 ps FWHM pulses. We have performed a further experiment with longer laser pulses (0.5˜4.0 ns FWHM) and will present combined results of the experiments focusing on light emission data in spectral ranges relevant to the Raman (SRS) and TPD instabilities. Time- or space-resolved spectral features of TPD were detected at different viewing angles and the absolute intensity calibrated spectra of thermal background were used to obtain blackbody temperatures in the plasma corona. The wave vector distribution in k-space of the participating TPD plasmons will be also discussed. These results show promise for the proposed direct-drive designs.

Poynting-Flux-Driven Bubbles and Shocks Around Merging Neutron Star Binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medvedev, M. V.; Loeb, A.

2013-04-01

Merging binaries of compact relativistic objects are thought to be progenitors of short gamma-ray bursts. Because of the strong magnetic field of one or both binary members and high orbital frequencies, these binaries are strong sources of energy in the form of Poynting flux. The steady injection of energy by the binary forms a bubble filled with matter with the relativistic equation of state, which pushes on the surrounding plasma and can drive a shock wave in it. Unlike the Sedov-von Neumann-Taylor blast wave solution for a point-like explosion, the shock wave here is continuously driven by the ever-increasing pressure inside the bubble. We calculate from the first principles the dynamics and evolution of the bubble and the shock surrounding it, demonstrate that it exhibits finite time singularity and find the corresponding analytical solution. We predict that such binaries can be observed as radio sources a few hours before and after the merger.

Traveling wave solution of driven nonlinear Schrödinger equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akbari-Moghanjoughi, M.

2017-09-01

The traveling solitary and cnoidal wave solutions of the one dimensional driven nonlinear Schrödinger equation with a generalized form of nonlinearity are presented in this paper. We examine the modulation of nonlinear solitary excitations in two known weakly nonlinear models of classic oscillators, namely, the Helmholtz and Duffing oscillators and envelope structure formations for different oscillator and driver parameters. It is shown that two distinct regimes of subcritical and supercritical modulations may occur for nonlinear excitations with propagation speeds v <√{4 F0 } and v >√{4 F0 } , respectively, in which F0 is the driver force strength. The envelope soliton and cnoidal waves in these regimes are observed to be fundamentally different. The effect of pseudoenergy on the structure of the modulated envelope excitations is studied in detail for both sub- and supercritical modulation types. The current model for traveling envelope excitations may be easily extended to pseudopotentials with full nonlinearity relevant to more realistic gases, fluids, and plasmas.

Efficient injection of radiation-pressure-accelerated sub-relativistic protons into laser wakefield acceleration based on 10 PW lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, M.; Weng, S. M.; Wang, H. C.; Chen, M.; Zhao, Q.; Sheng, Z. M.; He, M. Q.; Li, Y. T.; Zhang, J.

2018-06-01

We propose a hybrid laser-driven ion acceleration scheme using a combination target of a solid foil and a density-tailored background plasma. In the first stage, a sub-relativistic proton beam can be generated by radiation pressure acceleration in intense laser interaction with the solid foil. In the second stage, this sub-relativistic proton beam is further accelerated by the laser wakefield driven by the same laser pulse in a near-critical-density background plasma with decreasing density profile. The propagating velocity of the laser front and the phase velocity of the excited wakefield wave are effectively lowered at the beginning of the second stage. By decreasing the background plasma density gradually from near critical density along the laser propagation direction, the wake travels faster and faster, while it accelerates the protons. Consequently, the dephasing between the protons and the wake is postponed and an efficient wakefield proton acceleration is achieved. This hybrid laser-driven proton acceleration scheme can be realized by using ultrashort laser pulses at the peak power of 10 PW for the generation of multi-GeV proton beams.

Challenging Some Contemporary Views of Coronal Mass Ejections. I. The Case for Blast Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, T. A.; Pizzo, V. J.

2016-06-01

Since the closure of the “solar flare myth” debate in the mid-1990s, a specific narrative of the nature of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) has been widely accepted by the solar physics community. This narrative describes structured magnetic flux ropes at the CME core that drive the surrounding field plasma away from the Sun. This narrative replaced the “traditional” view that CMEs were blast waves driven by solar flares. While the flux rope CME narrative is supported by a vast quantity of measurements made over five decades, it does not adequately describe every observation of what have been termed CME-related phenomena. In this paper we present evidence that some large-scale coronal eruptions, particularly those associated with EIT waves, exhibit characteristics that are more consistent with a blast wave originating from a localized region (such as a flare site) rather than a large-scale structure driven by an intrinsic flux rope. We present detailed examples of CMEs that are suspected blast waves and flux ropes, and show that of our small sample of 22 EIT-wave-related CMEs, 91% involve a blast wave as at least part of the eruption, and 50% are probably blast waves exclusively. We conclude with a description of possible signatures to look for in determining the difference between the two types of CMEs and with a discussion on modeling efforts to explore this possibility.

Experimental observation of electron-temperature-gradient turbulence in a laboratory plasma.

PubMed

Mattoo, S K; Singh, S K; Awasthi, L M; Singh, R; Kaw, P K

2012-06-22

We report the observation of electron-temperature-gradient (ETG) driven turbulence in the laboratory plasma of a large volume plasma device. The removal of unutilized primary ionizing and nonthermal electrons from uniform density plasma and the imposition and control of the gradient in the electron temperature (T[Symbol: see text] T(e)) are all achieved by placing a large (2 m diameter) magnetic electron energy filter in the middle of the device. In the dressed plasma, the observed ETG turbulence in the lower hybrid range of frequencies ν = (1-80 kHz) is characterized by a broadband with a power law. The mean wave number k perpendicular ρ(e) = (0.1-0.2) satisfies the condition k perpendicular ρ(e) ≤ 1, where ρ(e) is the electron Larmor radius.

Experimental investigation of standing wave effect in dual-frequency capacitively coupled argon discharges: role of a low-frequency source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Kai; Liu, Yong-Xin; Kawamura, E.; Wen, De-Qi; Lieberman, M. A.; Wang, You-Nian

2018-05-01

It is well known that the plasma non-uniformity caused by the standing wave effect has brought about great challenges for plasma material processing. To improve the plasma uniformity, a low-frequency (LF) power source is introduced into a 100 MHz very-high-frequency (VHF) capacitively coupled argon plasma reactor. The effect of the LF parameters (LF voltage amplitude ϕ L and LF source f L) on the radial profile of plasma density has been investigated by utilizing a hairpin probe. The result at a low pressure (1 Pa) is compared to the one obtained by a 2D fluid-analytical capacitively coupled plasma model, showing good agreement in the plasma density radial profile. The experimental results show that the plasma density profile exhibits different dependences on ϕ L and f L at different gas pressures/electrode driven types (i.e., the two rf sources are applied on one electrode (case I) and separate electrodes (case II)). At low pressures (e.g., 8 Pa), the pronounced standing wave effect revealed in a VHF discharge can be suppressed at a relatively high ϕ L or a low f L in case I, because the HF sheath heating is largely weakened due to strong modulation by the LF source. By contrast, ϕ L and f L play insignificant roles in suppressing the standing wave effect in case II. At high pressures (e.g., 20 Pa), the opposite is true. The plasma density radial profile is more sensitive to ϕ L and f L in case II than in case I. In case II, the standing wave effect is surprisingly enhanced with increasing ϕ L at higher pressures; however, the center-high density profile caused by the standing wave effect can be compensated by increasing f L due to the enhanced electrostatic edge effect dominated by the LF source. In contrast, the density radial profile shows a much weaker dependence on ϕ L and f L in case I at higher pressures. To understand the different roles of ϕ L and f L, the electron excitation dynamics in each case are analyzed based on the measured spatio-temporal distributions of the electron-impact excitation rate by phase resolved optical emission spectroscopy.

Propagation of Torsional Alfvén Waves from the Photosphere to the Corona: Reflection, Transmission, and Heating in Expanding Flux Tubes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soler, Roberto; Terradas, Jaume; Oliver, Ramón

It has been proposed that Alfvén waves play an important role in the energy propagation through the solar atmospheric plasma and its heating. Here we theoretically investigate the propagation of torsional Alfvén waves in magnetic flux tubes expanding from the photosphere up to the low corona and explore the reflection, transmission, and dissipation of wave energy. We use a realistic variation of the plasma properties and the magnetic field strength with height. Dissipation by ion–neutral collisions in the chromosphere is included using a multifluid partially ionized plasma model. Considering the stationary state, we assume that the waves are driven belowmore » the photosphere and propagate to the corona, while they are partially reflected and damped in the chromosphere and transition region. The results reveal the existence of three different propagation regimes depending on the wave frequency: low frequencies are reflected back to the photosphere, intermediate frequencies are transmitted to the corona, and high frequencies are completely damped in the chromosphere. The frequency of maximum transmissivity depends on the magnetic field expansion rate and the atmospheric model, but is typically in the range of 0.04–0.3 Hz. Magnetic field expansion favors the transmission of waves to the corona and lowers the reflectivity of the chromosphere and transition region compared to the case with a straight field. As a consequence, the chromospheric heating due to ion–neutral dissipation systematically decreases when the expansion rate of the magnetic flux tube increases.« less

Next Generation Driver for Attosecond and Laser-plasma Physics.

PubMed

Rivas, D E; Borot, A; Cardenas, D E; Marcus, G; Gu, X; Herrmann, D; Xu, J; Tan, J; Kormin, D; Ma, G; Dallari, W; Tsakiris, G D; Földes, I B; Chou, S-W; Weidman, M; Bergues, B; Wittmann, T; Schröder, H; Tzallas, P; Charalambidis, D; Razskazovskaya, O; Pervak, V; Krausz, F; Veisz, L

2017-07-12

The observation and manipulation of electron dynamics in matter call for attosecond light pulses, routinely available from high-order harmonic generation driven by few-femtosecond lasers. However, the energy limitation of these lasers supports only weak sources and correspondingly linear attosecond studies. Here we report on an optical parametric synthesizer designed for nonlinear attosecond optics and relativistic laser-plasma physics. This synthesizer uniquely combines ultra-relativistic focused intensities of about 10 20  W/cm 2 with a pulse duration of sub-two carrier-wave cycles. The coherent combination of two sequentially amplified and complementary spectral ranges yields sub-5-fs pulses with multi-TW peak power. The application of this source allows the generation of a broad spectral continuum at 100-eV photon energy in gases as well as high-order harmonics in relativistic plasmas. Unprecedented spatio-temporal confinement of light now permits the investigation of electric-field-driven electron phenomena in the relativistic regime and ultimately the rise of next-generation intense isolated attosecond sources.

Fast discharge in a plasma gun with hemispherical insulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antsiferov, P. S.; Dorokhin, L. A.; Sidelnikov, Yu. V.; Koshelev, K. N.

2009-05-01

A method of creation of hot dense plasma is proposed. It is based on cumulation of a shockwave, which originates on a hemispherical surface of insulator of plasma gun. The results of first experiments are presented. The shock wave is driven by fast electrical discharge (dI /dt>1012 A/s). The inductive storage with semiconductor opening switch is used as a current driver. Time resolved pin-hole images and vacuum ultraviolet (vuv) spectra are studied. Shockwaves from hemispherical insulator with 4 mm radius create plasma with a form of column about 1 mm diameter and 3-4 mm length. vuv spectra contain the lines of Ar ions that corresponds to the electron temperature about 20 eV. Possible practical application is discussed.

Alfven Eigenmode Control in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, W.; Olofsson, E.; Welander, A.; van Zeeland, M.; Collins, C.; Heidbrink, W.

2017-10-01

Alfven eigenmodes (AE) driven by fast ions from neutral beam and ion cyclotron heating are common in present day tokamak plasmas and are expected to be destabilized by alpha particles in future burning plasma experiments. Because these waves have been shown to cause loss and redistribution of fast ions which can impact plasma performance and potentially device integrity, developing control techniques for AEs is of paramount importance. In the DIII-D plasma control system, spectral analysis of real-time ECE data is used as a monitor of AE amplitude, frequency, and location. These values are then used for feedback control of the neutral beam power to control Alfven waves and reduce fast ion loss. This work describes tests of AE control experiments in the current ramp up phase, during which multiple Alfven eigenmodes are typically unstable and fast ion confinement is degraded significantly. Comparisons of neutron emission and confined fast ion profiles with and without active AE control will be made. Work supported by the U.S. Dept. of Energy under Award Number DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Simulated performance of the optical Thomson scattering diagnostic designed for the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Ross, J. S.; Datte, P.; Divol, L.; ...

2016-07-28

An optical Thomson scattering diagnostic has been designed for the National Ignition Facility to characterize under-dense plasmas. Here, we report on the design of the system and the expected performance for different target configurations. The diagnostic is designed to spatially and temporally resolve the Thomson scattered light from laser driven targets. The diagnostic will collect scattered light from a 50 × 50 × 200 μm volume. The optical design allows operation with different probe laser wavelengths. A deep-UV probe beam (λ 0 = 210 nm) will be used to Thomson scatter from electron plasma densities of ~5 × 10 20more » cm -3 while a 3ω probe will be used for plasma densities of ~1 × 10 19 cm -3. The diagnostic package contains two spectrometers: the first to resolve Thomson scattering from ion acoustic wave fluctuations and the second to resolve scattering from electron plasma wave fluctuations. Expected signal levels relative to background will be presented for typical target configurations (hohlraums and a planar foil).« less

Simulated performance of the optical Thomson scattering diagnostic designed for the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ross, J. S., E-mail: ross36@llnl.gov; Datte, P.; Divol, L.

2016-11-15

An optical Thomson scattering diagnostic has been designed for the National Ignition Facility to characterize under-dense plasmas. We report on the design of the system and the expected performance for different target configurations. The diagnostic is designed to spatially and temporally resolve the Thomson scattered light from laser driven targets. The diagnostic will collect scattered light from a 50 × 50 × 200 μm volume. The optical design allows operation with different probe laser wavelengths. A deep-UV probe beam (λ{sub 0} = 210 nm) will be used to Thomson scatter from electron plasma densities of ∼5 × 10{sup 20} cm{supmore » −3} while a 3ω probe will be used for plasma densities of ∼1 × 10{sup 19} cm{sup −3}. The diagnostic package contains two spectrometers: the first to resolve Thomson scattering from ion acoustic wave fluctuations and the second to resolve scattering from electron plasma wave fluctuations. Expected signal levels relative to background will be presented for typical target configurations (hohlraums and a planar foil).« less

Whistler wave propagation in the antenna near and far fields in the Naval Research Laboratory Space Physics Simulation Chamber

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blackwell, David D.; Walker, David N.; Amatucci, William E.

2010-01-15

In previous papers, early whistler propagation measurements were presented [W. E. Amatucci et al., IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 33, 637 (2005)] as well as antenna impedance measurements [D. D. Blackwell et al., Phys. Plasmas 14, 092106 (2007)] performed in the Naval Research Laboratory Space Physics Simulation Chamber (SPSC). Since that time there have been major upgrades in the experimental capabilities of the laboratory in the form of improvement of both the plasma source and antennas. This has allowed access to plasma parameter space that was previously unattainable, and has resulted in measurements that provide a significantly clearer picture of whistlermore » propagation in the laboratory environment. This paper presents some of the first whistler experimental results from the upgraded SPSC. Whereas previously measurements were limited to measuring the cyclotron resonance cutoff and elliptical polarization indicative of the whistler mode, now it is possible to experimentally plot the dispersion relation itself. The waves are driven and detected using balanced dipole and loop antennas connected to a network analyzer, which measures the amplitude and phase of the wave in two dimensions (r and z). In addition the frequency of the signals is also swept over a range of several hundreds of megahertz, providing a comprehensive picture of the near and far field antenna radiation patterns over a variety of plasma conditions. The magnetic field is varied from a few gauss to 200 G, with the density variable over at least 3 decades from 10{sup 7} to 10{sup 10} cm{sup -3}. The waves are shown to lie on the dispersion surface for whistler waves, with observation of resonance cones in agreement with theoretical predictions. The waves are also observed to propagate without loss of amplitude at higher power, a result in agreement with previous experiments and the notion of ducted whistlers.« less

Influence of the normal modes on the plasma uniformity in large scale CCP reactors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eremin, Denis; Brinkmann, Ralf Peter; Mussenbrock, Thomas; Lane, Barton; Matsukuma, Masaaki; Ventzek, Peter

2016-09-01

Large scale capacitively coupled plasmas (CCP) driven by sources with high frequency components often exhibit phenomena which are absent in relatively well understood small scale CCPs driven at low frequencies. Of particular interest are such phenomena which affect discharge parameters of direct relevance to the plasma processing applications. One of such parameters is plasma uniformity. By using a self-consistent 2d3v Particle-in-cell/Monte-Carlo (PIC/MCC) code parallelized on GPU we have been able to show that uniformity of the plasma generated is influenced predominantly by two factors, the ionization pattern caused by high-energy electrons and the average temperature of low-energy plasma electrons. The heating mechanisms for these two groups of electrons appear to be different leading to different transversal (radial) profiles of the corresponding factors, which is well captured by the kinetic PIC/MCC code. We find that the heating mechanisms are intrinsically connected with excitation of normal modes inherent to a plasma-filled CCP reactor. In this work we study the wave nature of these phenomena, such as their excitation, propagation, and interaction with electrons. Supported by SFB-TR 87 project of the German Research Foundation and by the ``Experimental and numerical analysis of very high frequency capacitively coupled plasma discharges'' mutual research project between RUB and Tokyo Electron Ltd.

Axial plasma detachment in helicon plasmas during a global transition due to spontaneous self organization: instabilities, bifurcation and the helicon core formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty Thakur, Saikat; Hong, Rongjie; Tynan, George

2017-10-01

We observe axial plasma detachment in a helicon plasma device that occurs simultaneously along with a spontaneous, self-organized global transition in the plasma dynamics via a transport bifurcation with strong hysteresis, at a certain B_crit. For B B_crit, the plasma exhibits steepened density and ion temperature gradients, strong shearing in the azimuthal and parallel velocities, and multiple, simultaneously present, radially separated plasma instabilities. The axial detachment also follows the same hysteresis curves associated with the transport bifurcation that led to the transition. The value of B_crit depends on the source parameters (pressure, gas flow rate, rf power etc.). This study allows access to new regimes to study plasma turbulence and transport as well as plasma detachment and helicon core formation. We find that the plasma can exist in more than one type of helicon modes.

Statistical analysis of mirror mode waves in sheath regions driven by interplanetary coronal mass ejection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ala-Lahti, Matti M.; Kilpua, Emilia K. J.; Dimmock, Andrew P.; Osmane, Adnane; Pulkkinen, Tuija; Souček, Jan

2018-05-01

We present a comprehensive statistical analysis of mirror mode waves and the properties of their plasma surroundings in sheath regions driven by interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME). We have constructed a semi-automated method to identify mirror modes from the magnetic field data. We analyze 91 ICME sheath regions from January 1997 to April 2015 using data from the Wind spacecraft. The results imply that similarly to planetary magnetosheaths, mirror modes are also common structures in ICME sheaths. However, they occur almost exclusively as dip-like structures and in mirror stable plasma. We observe mirror modes throughout the sheath, from the bow shock to the ICME leading edge, but their amplitudes are largest closest to the shock. We also find that the shock strength (measured by Alfvén Mach number) is the most important parameter in controlling the occurrence of mirror modes. Our findings suggest that in ICME sheaths the dominant source of free energy for mirror mode generation is the shock compression. We also suggest that mirror modes that are found deeper in the sheath are remnants from earlier times of the sheath evolution, generated also in the vicinity of the shock.

Degenerate pressure driven self-gravito-acoustic solitary waves in a self-gravitating degenerate quantum plasma system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamun, A. A.

2018-02-01

A general (but realistic) self-gravitating degenerate quantum plasma system (SG-DQPS) containing inertialess degenerate electron species, inertial degenerate light, and heavy ion/nucleus species is considered to examine the possibility for the existence of degenerate pressure driven self-gravito-acoustic (DPD-SGA) solitary waves (SWs) formed in such a SG-DQPS. The pseudo-potential approach, which is valid for the arbitrary amplitude DPD-SGA SWs, is employed. It is found that depending on the value of the number density of heavy ion/nucleus species, the SG-DQPS under consideration supports the existence of positive or the coexistence of positive and negative DPD-SGA SWs. The basic features (polarity, amplitude, and width) of both positive and negative DPD-SGA SWs are found to be significantly modified by the dynamics of heavy ion/nucleus species. The theoretical investigation presented here is so general that it can be applied not only in astrophysical SG-DQPSs (such as white dwarf and neutron star SG-DQPSs), but also in laboratory SG-DQPSs (viz., solid density and laser-produced SG-DQPSs) to identify the salient features of the DPD-SGA SWs formed in them.

The simulation of electromagnetically driven strong Langmuir turbulence effect on the backscatter radiation from ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochetov, Andrey

2016-07-01

Numerical simulations of the dynamics of electromagnetic fields in a smoothly inhomogeneous nonlinear plasma layer in frameworks of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation with boundary conditions responsible for the pumping of the field in the layer by an incident wave and the inverse radiation losses supplemented the volume field dissipation due to the electromagnetic excitation of Langmuir turbulence are carried out. The effects of the threshold of non-linearity and it's evolution, of the threshold and saturation levels of dissipation in the vicinity of the wave reflection point on the features of the dynamics of reflection and absorption indexes are investigated. We consider the hard drive damping depending on the local field amplitude and hysteresis losses with different in several times "on" and "off" absorption thresholds as well. The dependence of the thresholds of the steady-state, periodic and chaotic regimes of plasma-wave interaction on the scenario of turbulence evolution is demonstrated. The results are compared with the experimental observations of Langmuir stage ionospheric modification.

Study of cavity type antenna structure of large-area 915 MHz ultra-high frequency wave plasma device based on three-dimensional finite difference time-domain analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Xijiang; Kunii, Kazuki; Liang, Rongqing; Nagatsu, Masaaki

2013-11-01

A large-area planar plasma source with a resonant cavity type launcher driven by a 915 MHz ultra-high frequency wave was developed. Theoretical analysis with the three-dimensional finite difference time-domain simulation was carried out to determine the optimized launcher structure by analyzing the resonant transverse magnetic mode in the resonant cavity. Numerical result expects that the resonant electric field distribution inside the cavity dominantly consists of the TM410 mode. The resonant cavity type launcher having 8 holes in an octagonal geometry was designed to fit the resonant transverse magnetic mode. Adjusting 8 hole positions of the launcher to the field pattern of the resonant TM410 mode, we found that the plasma density increased about 40%˜50% from 1.0˜1.1 × 1011 cm-3 to ˜1.5 × 1011 cm-3 at the same incident power of 2.5 kW, compared with the previous results with the launcher having 6 holes in the hexagonal geometry. It is also noted that the electron density changes almost linearly with the incident wave power without any mode jumps.

Impact of Type II Spicules into the Corona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Sykora, Juan; De Pontieu, Bart; Carlsson, Mats; Hansteen, Viggo H.; Pereira, Tiago M. D.

2017-08-01

In the lower solar atmosphere, the chromosphere is permeated by jets, in which plasma is propelled at speeds of 50-150 km/s into the Sun’s atmosphere or corona. Although these spicules may play a role in heating the million-degree corona and are associated with Alfvén waves that help drive the solar wind, their generation remains mysterious. We implemented in the radiative MHD Bifrost code the effects of partial ionization using the generalized Ohm’s law. This code also solves the full MHD equations with non-grey and non-LTE radiative transfer and thermal conduction along magnetic field lines. The ion-neutral collision frequency is computed using recent studies that improved the estimation of the cross sections under chromospheric conditions (Vranjes & Krstic 2013). Self-consistently driven jets (spicules type II) in magnetohydrodynamic simulations occur ubiquitously when magnetic tension is confined and transported upwards through interactions between ions and neutrals, and impulsively released to drive flows, heat plasma, generate Alfvén waves, and may play an important role in maintaining the substructure of loop fans. This mechanism explains how spicular plasma can be heated to millions of degrees and how Alfvén waves are generated in the chromosphere.

Ionospheric response to infrasonic-acoustic waves generated by natural hazard events

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zettergren, M. D.; Snively, J. B.

2015-09-01

Recent measurements of GPS-derived total electron content (TEC) reveal acoustic wave periods of ˜1-4 min in the F region ionosphere following natural hazard events, such as earthquakes, severe weather, and volcanoes. Here we simulate the ionospheric responses to infrasonic-acoustic waves, generated by vertical accelerations at the Earth's surface or within the lower atmosphere, using a compressible atmospheric dynamics model to perturb a multifluid ionospheric model. Response dependencies on wave source geometry and spectrum are investigated at middle, low, and equatorial latitudes. Results suggest constraints on wave amplitudes that are consistent with observations and that provide insight on the geographical variability of TEC signatures and their dependence on the geometry of wave velocity field perturbations relative to the ambient geomagnetic field. Asymmetries of responses poleward and equatorward from the wave sources indicate that electron perturbations are enhanced on the equatorward side while field aligned currents are driven principally on the poleward side, due to alignments of acoustic wave velocities parallel and perpendicular to field lines, respectively. Acoustic-wave-driven TEC perturbations are shown to have periods of ˜3-4 min, which are consistent with the fraction of the spectrum that remains following strong dissipation throughout the thermosphere. Furthermore, thermospheric acoustic waves couple with ion sound waves throughout the F region and topside ionosphere, driving plasma disturbances with similar periods and faster phase speeds. The associated magnetic perturbations of the simulated waves are calculated to be observable and may provide new observational insight in addition to that provided by GPS TEC measurements.

Effect of parallel electric fields on the ponderomotive stabilization of MHD instabilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Litwin, C.; Hershkowitz, N.

The contribution of the wave electric field component E/sub parallel/, parallel to the magnetic field, to the ponderomotive stabilization of curvature driven instabilities is evaluated and compared to the transverse component contribution. For the experimental density range, in which the stability is primarily determined by the m = 1 magnetosonic wave, this contribution is found to be the dominant and stabilizing when the electron temperature is neglected. For sufficiently high electron temperatures the dominant fast wave is found to be axially evanescent. In the same limit, E/sub parallel/ becomes radially oscillating. It is concluded that the increased electron temperature nearmore » the plasma surface reduces the magnitude of ponderomotive effects.« less

Bootstrap and fast wave current drive for tokamak reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ehst, D.A.

1991-09-01

Using the multi-species neoclassical treatment of Hirshman and Sigmar we study steady state bootstrap equilibria with seed currents provided by low frequency (ICRF) fast waves and with additional surface current density driven by lower hybrid waves. This study applies to reactor plasmas of arbitrary aspect ratio. IN one limit the bootstrap component can supply nearly the total equilibrium current with minimal driving power (< 20 MW). However, for larger total currents considerable driving power is required (for ITER: I{sub o} = 18 MA needs P{sub FW} = 15 MW, P{sub LH} = 75 MW). A computational survey of bootstrap fractionmore » and current drive efficiency is presented. 11 refs., 8 figs.« less

Current drive with combined electron cyclotron wave and high harmonic fast wave in tokamak plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, J. C.; Gong, X. Y.; Dong, J. Q.; Wang, J.; Zhang, N.; Zheng, P. W.; Yin, C. Y.

2016-12-01

The current driven by combined electron cyclotron wave (ECW) and high harmonic fast wave is investigated using the GENRAY/CQL3D package. It is shown that no significant synergetic current is found in a range of cases with a combined ECW and fast wave (FW). This result is consistent with a previous study [Harvey et al., in Proceedings of IAEA TCM on Fast Wave Current Drive in Reactor Scale Tokamaks (Synergy and Complimentarily with LHCD and ECRH), Arles, France, IAEA, Vienna, 1991]. However, a positive synergy effect does appear with the FW in the lower hybrid range of frequencies. This positive synergy effect can be explained using a picture of the electron distribution function induced by the ECW and a very high harmonic fast wave (helicon). The dependence of the synergy effect on the radial position of the power deposition, the wave power, the wave frequency, and the parallel refractive index is also analyzed, both numerically and physically.

Extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy of low pressure helium microwave driven discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinho, Susana; Felizardo, Edgar; Tatarova, Elena; Alves, Luis Lemos

2016-09-01

Surface wave driven discharges are reliable plasma sources that can produce high levels of vacuum and extreme ultraviolet radiation (VUV and EUV). The richness of the emission spectrum makes this type of discharge a possible alternative source in EUV/VUV radiation assisted applications. However, due to challenging experimental requirements, publications concerning EUV radiation emitted by microwave plasmas are scarce and a deeper understanding of the main mechanisms governing the emission of radiation in this spectral range is required. To this end, the EUV radiation emitted by helium microwave driven plasmas operating at 2.45 GHz has been studied for low pressure conditions. Spectral lines from excited helium atoms and ions were detected via emission spectroscopy in the EUV/VUV regions. Novel data concerning the spectral lines observed in the 23 - 33 nm wavelength range and their intensity behaviour with variation of the discharge operational conditions are presented. The intensity of all the spectral emissions strongly increases with the microwave power delivered to the plasma up to 400 W. Furthermore, the intensity of all the ion spectral emissions in the EUV range decreases by nearly one order of magnitude as the pressure was raised from 0.2 to 0.5 mbar. Work funded by FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, under Project UID/FIS/50010/2013 and grant SFRH/BD/52412/2013 (PD-F APPLAuSE).

Conservation Laws and Ponderomotive Force for Non-WKB, MHD Waves in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, J. F.; Webb, G. M.; Zank, G. P.; Kaghashvili, E. K.; Ratkiewicz, R. E.

2004-12-01

The interaction of non-WKB Alfvén waves in the Solar Wind was investigated by Heinemann and Olbert (1980), MacGregor and Charbonneau (1994) and others. MacGregor and Charbonneau (1994) investigated non-WKB Alfvén wave driven winds. We discuss both the canonical and physical wave stress energy tensors for non-WKB, MHD waves and the ponderomotive force exerted by the waves on the wind for the case where both compressible (magneto-acoustic type waves) and incompressible waves (Alfvén waves) are present. The equations for the waves include the effects of wave mixing (i.e. the interaction of the waves with each other via gradients in the background flow). Wave mixing is known to be an important element of turbulence theory in the Solar Wind. However, only the wave mixing of Alfvénic type disturbances have been accounted for in present models of Solar Wind turbulence (e.g. Zhou and Matthaeus, 1990), which use Elssässer variables to describe the perturbations. The relationship between the present analysis and nearly incompressible MHD (reduced MHD) is at present unclear. Also unclear is the relationship between the present analysis and theories using wave-mean field interactions (e.g. Grimshaw (1984), Holm (1999)). The analysis is based on a theory for wave and background stress-energy tensors developed by Webb et al. (2004a,b) using a Lagrangian formulation of the total system of waves and background plasma (see e.g. Dewar (1970) for the WKB case). Conservation laws for the total system of waves and background plasma result from application of Noether's theorems relating Lie symmetries of the action to conservation laws.

Collisional relaxation of an isotopic, strongly magnetized pure ion plasma and topics in resonant wave-particle interaction of plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chim, Chi Yung

First in Chapter 2, we discuss the collisional relaxation of a strongly magnetized pure ion plasma that is composed of two species with slightly different masses, but both with singly-ionized atoms. In a limit of high cyclotron frequencies O j, the total cyclotron action Ij for the two species are adiabatic invariants. In a few collisions, maximizing entropy yields a modified Gibbs distribution of the form exp[-H/T ∥-alpha1 I 1-alpha2I2]. Here, H is the total Hamiltonian and alphaj's are related to parallel and perpendicular temperatures through T ⊥j=(1/T∥ +alphaj/Oj) -1. On a longer timescale, the two species share action so that alpha 1 and alpha2 relax to a common value alpha. On an even longer timescale, the total action ceases to be a constant of the motion and alpha relaxes to zero. Next, weak transport produces a low density halo of electrons moving radially outward from the pure electron plasma core, and the m = 1 mode begins to damp algebraically when the halo reaches the wall. The damping rate is proportional to the particle flux through the resonant layer at the wall. Chapter 3 explains analytically the new algebraic damping due to both mobility and diffusion transport. Electrons swept around the resonant "cat's eye" orbits form a dipole (m = 1) density distribution, setting up a field that produces ExB-drift of the core back to the axis, that is, damps the mode. Finally, Chapter 4 provides a simple mechanistic interpretation of the resonant wave-particle interaction of Landau. For the simple case of a Vlasov plasma oscillation, the non-resonant electrons are driven resonantly by the bare electric field from the resonant electrons, and this complex driver field is of a phase to reduce the oscillation amplitude. The wave-particle resonant interaction also occurs in 2D ExB-drift waves, such as a diocotron wave. In this case, the bare electric field from the resonant electrons causes ExB-drift motion back in the core plasma, thus damping the wave.

MAVEN Observations of Solar Wind-Driven Magnetosonic Waves Heating the Martian Dayside Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fowler, C. M.; Andersson, L.; Ergun, R. E.; Harada, Y.; Hara, T.; Collinson, G.; Peterson, W. K.; Espley, J.; Halekas, J.; Mcfadden, J.; Mitchell, D. L.; Mazelle, C.; Benna, M.; Jakosky, B. M.

2018-05-01

We present Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN observations of large-amplitude magnetosonic waves propagating through the magnetosheath into the Martian ionosphere near the subsolar point on the dayside of the planet. The observed waves grow in amplitude as predicted for a wave propagating into a denser, charged medium, with wave amplitudes reaching 25 nT, equivalent to ˜40% of the background field strength. These waves drive significant density and temperature variations (˜20% to 100% in amplitude) in the suprathermal electrons and light ion species (H+) that correlate with compressional fronts of the magnetosonic waves. Density and temperature variations are also observed for the ionospheric electrons, and heavy ion species (O+ and O2+); however, these variations are not in phase with the magnetic field variations. Whistler waves are observed at compressional wave fronts and are thought to be produced by unstable, anistropic suprathermal electrons. The magnetosonic waves drive significant ion and electron heating down to just above the exobase region. Ion heating rates are estimated to be between 0.03 and 0.2 eVs-1 per ion, and heavier ions could thus gain escape energy if located in this heating region for ˜10-70 s. The measured ionospheric density profile indicates severe ionospheric erosion above the exobase region, and this is likely caused by substantial ion outflow that is driven by the observed heating. The effectiveness of these magnetosonic waves to energize the plasma close to the exobase could have important implications for the long-term climate evolution for unmagnetized bodies that are exposed to the solar wind.

Electrostatic trapping as a key to the dynamics of plasmas, fluids and other collective systems [review article

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luque, A.; Schamel, H.

2005-08-01

This review article focusses on the phenomenon of collective particle trapping in dilute plasmas and related fluid-like systems. A coherent electrostatic wave or fluctuation, being excited by some mechanism in a plasma, is able to trap collectively charged particles in its potential trough(s) with the ultimate feedback of stabilizing and manipulating the original cause of growth. This phenomenon is well-known from particle simulations of a current-driven two-stream instability and its subsequent quenching by particle trapping. But also the nonlinear Landau damping process resulting in a BGK-like (Bernstein, Green, Kruskal) trapped particle mode sets an example. However, as shown in this report, already a slightly driven plasma has many possibilities of generating trapped particle modes-the mentioned cases representing only two examples-through which it generally becomes nonlinearly unstable. A direct consequence of this feedback of particle trapping is that the macroscopic (dielectric) properties of such a structured plasma may have changed fundamentally such that the relationship to what is known from linear wave theory is lost. We, hence, have to deal with a nonlinear kinetic description which, in case of a collisionless, electrostatic plasma, is the Vlasov-Poisson description. The present report is devoted to a large extent to a 1D Vlasov-Poisson system but also consequences for other physical systems will be derived and mentioned. These and other findings will be developed in some detail culminating in a new paradigm for plasma stability which says: a current-carrying plasma is nonlinearly unstable in a much wider region of parameter space than predicted by linear wave theory with the consequence that the associated turbulence and anomalous transport are triggered much easier than suggested by standard linear wave analysis. Responsible for this new scenario are localized trapped particle modes-more specifically electron and ion holes of zero or negative energy-which are found to be excited well below the threshold of linear instability. In other words, a current-driven plasma shows a much larger sensibility to fluctuations than thought before and described in textbooks. The analysis presented reveals that a plasma, becoming structured by the generation of such modes, resides in a lower free energy state than the one without structures, being therefore in a preferred state that acts as an attractor in the system. Holes having this property will be briefly called negative energy holes (NEHs). For example, zero or negative energy ion holes are found to exist for any drift velocity between electrons and ions and for any temperature ratio. Two independent codes, a Vlasov-code and a PIC-(particle in cell)code, are used to approve this new scenario of instability. Moreover, by adding a Fokker-Planck collision term to the Vlasov-code, holes are shown to resist weak collisions, turn out to be robust and not only found in purely collisionless plasmas and cause an increase of resistivity. A natural outcome of this scenario, therefore, is that whenever free (kinetic) energy is available, holes (and double layers) are necessarily excited, penetrating intermittently the plasma. Satellite measurements, yielding holes and double layers as the most omnipresent structures found in space, provide a typical example. Having investigated classical plasmas this way, we show that many of these innovations can be transferred to other systems, as well. First, we perform a quantum-correction to electron holes by using the Wigner-Moyal description of quantum mechanics in phase-space. As a result we get a weakening of the hole for which tunneling of particles across the separatrix of the unperturbed, deterministic classical hole equilibrium is responsible. The formalism is then used to find a link between hole structures in classical plasmas and envelope solitons in nonlinear optical media. This gives rise to a new approximation method for wave envelope solutions of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, which utilizes quasi-particle trapping and may be valuable in cases of nonlinearties for which a direct solution is missing. Another important application are particle beams in circular accelerators and storage rings. We prove analytically the existence of localized and periodic structures in coasting beams, as have been found experimentally for instance at Fermilab and at CERN, which are quite analogous to holes in classical plasmas. We also present an improved criterion for focusing. For bunched beams we describe and apply an iterative numerical procedure to find solitary hump and hole structures superimposed on the particle bunch, the former of which having been found recently in the Relativistic Hadron-Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven. Finally, we stress the mathematical equivalence between the 1D Vlasov-Poisson system and the equations describing a 2D incompressible, ideal fluid or the perpendicular dynamics of a strongly magnetized plasma in fluid or MHD approximation and other more complex fluids, such as rotating fluids, inhomogeneous plasmas, etc. This implies that tiny fluid elements trapped in coherent patches of shear flow motion, such as in secondary (tertiary) states that govern the transition to turbulence in ordinary hydrodynamics, do play a similar role than trapped particles in electrostatic waves, violating any linear wave ansatz. Or, said in different words, whenever a continues spectrum arises in a linearized fluid-like system associated with singular perturbations and a resonance between (quasi-)particles and the field, one has to consider this as a hint that the neglect of nonlinearity is not justified and that nonlinear wave solutions have to be taken into account in describing the evolution of the system correctly. This statement holds true already at an infinitesimal energy level of the coherent perturbations. Nonlinearity, and with it trapping structures, turns out to be a necessary requisite in all stages of the dynamical evolution not only at finite wave amplitudes, as commonly believed. In conclusion, in this report we emphasize the importance of collective trapping in (nearly) ideal plasmas and related systems bringing in at any level of wave activity a fundamental nonlinearity which is missed in standard linear wave theories as described in textbooks. The associated trapped particle modes challenge standard flow theories playing a key role in the interpretation of turbulence and anomalous transport.

Plasma Accelerators Race to 10 GeV and Beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsouleas, Tom

2005-10-01

This paper reviews the concepts, recent progress and current challenges for realizing the tremendous electric fields in relativistic plasma waves for applications ranging from tabletop particle accelerators to high-energy physics. Experiments in the 90's on laser-driven plasma wakefield accelerators at several laboratories around the world demonstrated the potential for plasma wakefields to accelerate intense bunches of self-trapped particles at rates as high as 100 GeV/m in mm-scale gas jets. These early experiments offered impressive gradients but large energy spread (100%) and short interaction lengths. Major breakthroughs have recently occurred on both fronts. Three groups (LBL-US, LOA-France and RAL-UK) have now entered a new regime of laser wakefield acceleration resulting in 100 MeV mono-energetic beams with up to nanoCoulombs of charge and very small angular spread. Simulations suggest that current lasers are just entering this new regime, and the scaling to higher energies appears attractive. In parallel with the progress in laser-driven wakefields, particle-beam driven wakefield accelerators are making large strides. A series of experiments using the 30 GeV beam of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) has demonstrated high-gradient acceleration of electrons and positrons in meter-scale plasmas. The UCLA/USC/SLAC collaboration has accelerated electrons beyond 1 GeV and is aiming at 10 GeV in 30 cm as the next step toward a ``plasma afterburner,'' a concept for doubling the energy of a high-energy collider in a few tens of meters of plasma. In addition to wakefield acceleration, these and other experiments have demonstrated the rich physics bounty to be reaped from relativistic beam-plasma interactions. This includes plasma lenses capable of focusing particle beams to the highest density ever produced, collective radiation mechanisms capable of generating high-brightness x-ray beams, collective refraction of particles at a plasma interface, and acceleration of intense proton beams from laser-irradiated foils.

ICRF Mode Conversion Flow Drive Experiments on Alcator C-Mod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Y.; Reinke, M. L.; Rice, J. E.; Wukitch, S. J.; Granetz, R.; Greenwald, M.; Hubbard, A. E.; Marmar, E. S.; Podpaly, Y. A.; Porkolab, M.; Tsujii, N.; Wolfe, S.

2011-12-01

We have carried out a detailed study of the dependence of ICRF mode conversion flow drive (MCFD) on plasma and RF parameters. The flow drive efficiency is found to depend strongly on the 3He concentration in D(3He) plasmas, a key parameter separating the ICRF minority heating regime and mode conversion regime. At +90 ° antenna phasing (waves in the co-Ip direction) and dipole phasing, the driven flow is in the co-Ip direction, and the change of the rotation velocity increases with both PRF and Ip, and scales unfavorably vs. plasma density and antenna frequency. When MCFD is applied to I-mode plasmas, the plasma rotation increases until the onset of MHD modes triggered by large sawtooth crashes. Very high performance I-mode plasmas with HITER98,y2˜1.4 and Te0˜8 keV have been obtained in these experiments.

Advanced density profile reflectometry; the state-of-the-art and measurement prospects for ITER

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doyle, E. J.

2006-10-01

Dramatic progress in millimeter-wave technology has allowed the realization of a key goal for ITER diagnostics, the routine measurement of the plasma density profile from millimeter-wave radar (reflectometry) measurements. In reflectometry, the measured round-trip group delay of a probe beam reflected from a plasma cutoff is used to infer the density distribution in the plasma. Reflectometer systems implemented by UCLA on a number of devices employ frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FM-CW), ultrawide-bandwidth, high-resolution radar systems. One such system on DIII-D has routinely demonstrated measurements of the density profile over a range of electron density of 0-6.4x10^19,m-3, with ˜25 μs time and ˜4 mm radial resolution, meeting key ITER requirements. This progress in performance was made possible by multiple advances in the areas of millimeter-wave technology, novel measurement techniques, and improved understanding, including: (i) fast sweep, solid-state, wide bandwidth sources and power amplifiers, (ii) dual polarization measurements to expand the density range, (iii) adaptive radar-based data analysis with parallel processing on a Unix cluster, (iv) high memory depth data acquisition, and (v) advances in full wave code modeling. The benefits of advanced system performance will be illustrated using measurements from a wide range of phenomena, including ELM and fast-ion driven mode dynamics, L-H transition studies and plasma-wall interaction. The measurement capabilities demonstrated by these systems provide a design basis for the development of the main ITER profile reflectometer system. This talk will explore the extent to which these reflectometer system designs, results and experience can be translated to ITER, and will identify what new studies and experimental tests are essential.

Full wave simulations of fast wave efficiency and power losses in the scrape-off layer of tokamak plasmas in mid/high harmonic and minority heating regimes

DOE PAGES

Bertelli, N.; Jaeger, E. F.; Hosea, J. C.; ...

2015-12-17

Here, several experiments on different machines and in different fast wave (FW) heating regimes, such as hydrogen minority heating and high harmonic fast waves (HHFW), have found strong interaction between radio-frequency (RF) waves and the scrape-off layer (SOL) region. This paper examines the propagation and the power loss in the SOL by using the full wave code AORSA, in which the edge plasma beyond the last closed flux surface (LCFS) is included in the solution domain and a collisional damping parameter is used as a proxy to represent the real, and most likely nonlinear, damping processes. 2D and 3D AORSAmore » results for the National Spherical Torus eXperiment (NSTX) have shown a strong transition to higher SOL power losses (driven by the RF field) when the FW cut-off is removed from in front of the antenna by increasing the edge density. Here, full wave simulations have been extended for 'conventional' tokamaks with higher aspect ratios, such as the DIII-D, Alcator C-Mod, and EAST devices. DIII-D results in HHFW regime show similar behavior found in NSTX and NSTX-U, consistent with previous DIII-D experimental observations. In contrast, a different behavior has been found for C-Mod and EAST, which operate in the minority heating regime.« less

Simulations and measurements of hot-electron generation driven by the multibeam two-plasmon-decay instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Follett, R. K.; Myatt, J. F.; Shaw, J. G.; Michel, D. T.; Solodov, A. A.; Edgell, D. H.; Yaakobi, B.; Froula, D. H.

2017-10-01

Multibeam experiments relevant to direct-drive inertial confinement fusion show the importance of nonlinear saturation mechanisms in the common-wave two-plasmon-decay (TPD) instability. Planar-target experiments on the OMEGA laser used hard x-ray measurements to study the influence of the linear common-wave growth rate on TPD-driven hot-electron production in two drive-beam configurations and over a range of overlapped laser intensities from 3.6 to 15.2 × 1014 W/cm2. The beam configuration with the larger linear common-wave growth rate had a lower intensity threshold for the onset of hot-electron production, but the linear growth rate made no significant impact on hot-electron production at high intensities. The experiments were modeled in 3-D using a hybrid code LPSE (laser plasma simulation environment) that combines a wave solver with a particle tracker to self-consistently calculate the electron velocity distribution and evolve electron Landau damping. Good quantitative agreement was obtained between the simulated and measured hot-electron distributions using a novel technique to account for macroscopic spatial and temporal variations that were present in the experiments.

Modeling and observations of ULF waves trapped in a plasmaspheric density plume

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degeling, A. W.; Zhang, S.; Foster, J. C.; Shi, Q.; Zong, Q. G.; Rankin, R.

2017-12-01

In order for ULF waves to effectively energise radiation belt electrons by drift-resonance, wave power must be significant in regions within the magnetosphere where the ULF wave phase propagation and electron drift directions are roughly aligned. For waves launched along the dayside magnetopause, such a region would be located in the afternoon - dusk sector of the inner magnetosphere. During periods of storm activity and enhanced convection, the plasma density in this region is highly dynamic due to the development of plasmaspheric drainage plume (PDP) structure. This significantly affects the local Alfvén speed, and alters the propagation of ULF waves launched from the magnetopause. It can therefore be expected that the accessibility of ULF wave power for radiation belt energisation is sensitively dependent on the recent history of magnetospheric convection, and the stage of development of the PDP. This is investigated using a 3D model for ULF waves within the magnetosphere in which the plasma density distribution is evolved using an advection model for cold plasma, driven by a (Volland - Stern) convection electrostatic field (resulting in PDP structure). The wave model includes magnetic-field day/night asymmetry, and extends to a paraboloid dayside magnetopause, from which ULF waves are launched at various stages during the PDP development. We find that the plume structure significantly alters the field line resonance (FLR) location, and the turning point for MHD fast waves, introducing strong asymmetry in the ULF wave distribution across the noon meridian. Moreover, the density enhancement within the PDP creates a waveguide or local cavity for MHD fast waves, such that eigenmodes formed allow the penetration of ULF wave power to much lower L within the plume than outside. This may explain satellite observations of the appearance of ULF wave activity within localized density enhancements associated with a PDP. Such an example, made by THEMIS following a geomagnetic storm on October 9, 2013, is described, and compared against the ULF wave model results, for which inputs are constrained by available observations.

CHALLENGING SOME CONTEMPORARY VIEWS OF CORONAL MASS EJECTIONS. I. THE CASE FOR BLAST WAVES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Howard, T. A.; Pizzo, V. J., E-mail: howard@boulder.swri.edu

Since the closure of the “solar flare myth” debate in the mid-1990s, a specific narrative of the nature of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) has been widely accepted by the solar physics community. This narrative describes structured magnetic flux ropes at the CME core that drive the surrounding field plasma away from the Sun. This narrative replaced the “traditional” view that CMEs were blast waves driven by solar flares. While the flux rope CME narrative is supported by a vast quantity of measurements made over five decades, it does not adequately describe every observation of what have been termed CME-related phenomena.more » In this paper we present evidence that some large-scale coronal eruptions, particularly those associated with EIT waves, exhibit characteristics that are more consistent with a blast wave originating from a localized region (such as a flare site) rather than a large-scale structure driven by an intrinsic flux rope. We present detailed examples of CMEs that are suspected blast waves and flux ropes, and show that of our small sample of 22 EIT-wave-related CMEs, 91% involve a blast wave as at least part of the eruption, and 50% are probably blast waves exclusively. We conclude with a description of possible signatures to look for in determining the difference between the two types of CMEs and with a discussion on modeling efforts to explore this possibility.« less

Simulation of electrostatic turbulence in the plasma sheet boundary layer with electron currents and bean-shaped ion beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nishikawa, K.; Frank, L.A.; Huang, C.Y.

Plasma data from ISEE 1 show the presence of electron currents as well as energetic ion beams in the plasma sheet boundary layer. Broadband electrostatic noise and low-frequency electromagnetic bursts are detected in the plasma sheet boundary layer, especially in the presence of strong ion flows, currents, and steep spacial gradients in the fluxes of few-keV electrons and ions. Particle simulations have been performed to investigate electrostatic turbulence driven by a cold electron beam and/or ion beams with a bean-shaped velocity distribution. The simulation results show that the counterstreaming ion beams as well as the counterstreaming of the cold electronmore » beam and the ion beam excite ion acoustic waves with the Doppler-shifted real frequency ..omega..approx. = +- k/sub parallel/(c/sub s/-V/sub i//sub //sub parallel/). However, the effect of the bean-shaped ion velocity distributions reduces the growth rates of ion acoustic instability. The simulation results also show that the slowing down of the ion beam is larger at the larger perpendicular velocity. The wave spectra of the electric fields at some points for simulations show turbulence generated by growing waves. The frequency of these spectra ranges from ..cap omega../sub i/ to ..omega../sub p//sub e/, which is in qualitative agreement with the satellite data. copyright American Geophysical Union 1988« less

Saturation of energetic-particle-driven geodesic acoustic modes due to wave-particle nonlinearity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biancalani, A.; Chavdarovski, I.; Qiu, Z.; Bottino, A.; Del Sarto, D.; Ghizzo, A.; Gürcan, Ö.; Morel, P.; Novikau, I.

2017-12-01

The nonlinear dynamics of energetic-particle (EP) driven geodesic acoustic modes (EGAM) is investigated here. A numerical analysis with the global gyrokinetic particle-in-cell code ORB5 is performed, and the results are interpreted with the analytical theory, in close comparison with the theory of the beam-plasma instability. Only axisymmetric modes are considered, with a nonlinear dynamics determined by wave-particle interaction. Quadratic scalings of the saturated electric field with respect to the linear growth rate are found for the case of interest. As a main result, the formula for the saturation level is provided. Near the saturation, we observe a transition from adiabatic to non-adiabatic dynamics, i.e. the frequency chirping rate becomes comparable to the resonant EP bounce frequency. The numerical analysis is performed here with electrostatic simulations with circular flux surfaces, and kinetic effects of the electrons are neglected.

Measurements and modeling of the impact of weak magnetic fields on the plasma properties of a planar slot antenna driven plasma source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yoshikawa, Jun, E-mail: jun.yoshikawa@tel.com; Susa, Yoshio; Ventzek, Peter L. G.

The radial line slot antenna plasma source is a type of surface wave plasma source driven by a planar slot antenna. Microwave power is transmitted through a slot antenna structure and dielectric window to a plasma characterized by a generation zone adjacent to the window and a diffusion zone that contacts a substrate. The diffusion zone is characterized by a very low electron temperature. This renders the source useful for soft etch applications and thin film deposition processes requiring low ion energy. Another property of the diffusion zone is that the plasma density tends to decrease from the axis tomore » the walls under the action of ambipolar diffusion at distances far from where the plasma is generated. A previous simulation study [Yoshikawa and. Ventzek, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 31, 031306 (2013)] predicted that the anisotropy in transport parameters due to weak static magnetic fields less than 50 G could be leveraged to manipulate the plasma profile in the radial direction. These simulations motivated experimental tests in which weak magnetic fields were applied to a radial line slot antenna source. Plasma absorption probe measurements of electron density and etch rate showed that the magnetic fields remote from the wafer were able to manipulate both parameters. A summary of these results is presented in this paper. Argon plasma simulation trends are compared with experimental plasma and etch rate measurements. A test of the impact of magnetic fields on charge up damage showed no perceptible negative effect.« less

A linear helicon plasma device with controllable magnetic field gradient.

PubMed

Barada, Kshitish K; Chattopadhyay, P K; Ghosh, J; Kumar, Sunil; Saxena, Y C

2012-06-01

Current free double layers (CFDLs) are localized potential structures having spatial dimensions - Debye lengths and potential drops of more than local electron temperature across them. CFDLs do not need a current for them to be sustained and hence they differ from the current driven double layers. Helicon antenna produced plasmas in an expanded chamber along with an expanding magnetic field have shown the existence of CFDL near the expansion region. A helicon plasma device has been designed, fabricated, and installed in the Institute for Plasma Research, India to study the role of maximum magnetic field gradient as well as its location with respect to the geometrical expansion region of the chamber in CFDL formation. The special feature of this machine consisting of two chambers of different radii is its capability of producing different magnetic field gradients near the physical boundary between the two chambers either by changing current in one particular coil in the direction opposite to that in other coils and/or by varying the position of this particular coil. Although, the machine is primarily designed for CFDL experiments, it is also capable of carrying out many basic plasma physics experiments such as wave propagation, wave coupling, and plasma instabilities in a varying magnetic field topology. In this paper, we will present the details of the machine construction, its specialties, and some preliminary results about the production and characterization of helicon plasma in this machine.

Plasma production for electron acceleration by resonant plasma wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anania, M. P.; Biagioni, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Croia, M.; Curcio, A.; Di Giovenale, D.; Di Pirro, G. P.; Filippi, F.; Ghigo, A.; Lollo, V.; Pella, S.; Pompili, R.; Romeo, S.; Ferrario, M.

2016-09-01

Plasma wakefield acceleration is the most promising acceleration technique known nowadays, able to provide very high accelerating fields (10-100 GV/m), enabling acceleration of electrons to GeV energy in few centimeter. However, the quality of the electron bunches accelerated with this technique is still not comparable with that of conventional accelerators (large energy spread, low repetition rate, and large emittance); radiofrequency-based accelerators, in fact, are limited in accelerating field (10-100 MV/m) requiring therefore hundred of meters of distances to reach the GeV energies, but can provide very bright electron bunches. To combine high brightness electron bunches from conventional accelerators and high accelerating fields reachable with plasmas could be a good compromise allowing to further accelerate high brightness electron bunches coming from LINAC while preserving electron beam quality. Following the idea of plasma wave resonant excitation driven by a train of short bunches, we have started to study the requirements in terms of plasma for SPARC_LAB (Ferrario et al., 2013 [1]). In particular here we focus on hydrogen plasma discharge, and in particular on the theoretical and numerical estimates of the ionization process which are very useful to design the discharge circuit and to evaluate the current needed to be supplied to the gas in order to have full ionization. Eventually, the current supplied to the gas simulated will be compared to that measured experimentally.

Reconnection-Driven Coronal-Hole Jets with Gravity and Solar Wind

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Karpen, J. T.; Devore, C. R.; Antiochos, S. K.; Pariat, E.

2017-01-01

Coronal-hole jets occur ubiquitously in the Sun's coronal holes, at EUV and X-ray bright points associated with intrusions of minority magnetic polarity. The embedded-bipole model for these jets posits that they are driven by explosive, fast reconnection between the stressed closed field of the embedded bipole and the open field of the surrounding coronal hole. Previous numerical studies in Cartesian geometry, assuming uniform ambient magnetic field and plasma while neglecting gravity and solar wind, demonstrated that the model is robust and can produce jet-like events in simple configurations. We have extended these investigations by including spherical geometry,gravity, and solar wind in a nonuniform, coronal hole-like ambient atmosphere. Our simulations confirm that the jet is initiated by the onset of a kink-like instability of the internal closed field, which induces a burst of reconnection between the closed and external open field, launching a helical jet. Our new results demonstrate that the jet propagation is sustained through the outer corona, in the form of a traveling nonlinear Alfven wave front trailed by slower-moving plasma density enhancements that are compressed and accelerated by the wave. This finding agrees well with observations of white-light coronal-hole jets, and can explain microstreams and torsional Alfven waves detected in situ in the solar wind. We also use our numerical results to deduce scaling relationships between properties of the coronal source region and the characteristics of the resulting jet, which can be tested against observations.

Damping Rates of Energetic Particle Modes and Stability With Changing Equilibrium Conditions in the MST Reversed-Field Pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sears, S. H.; Almagri, A. F.; Anderson, J. K.; Bonofiglo, P. J.; Capecchi, W.; Kim, J.

2016-10-01

The damping of Alfvenic waves is an important process, with implications varying from anomalous ion heating in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas to the stability of fusion alpha-driven modes in a burning plasma. With a 1 MW NBI on the MST, a controllable set of energetic particle modes (EPMs) and Alfvenic eigenmodes can be excited. We investigate the damping of these modes as a function of both magnetic and flow shear. Typical EPM damping rates are -104 s-1 in standard RFP discharges. Magnetic shear in the region of large energetic ion density is -2 cm-1 and can be increased up to -2.5 cm-1 by varying the boundary field. Continuum mode damping rates can be reduced up to 50%. New experiments use a bias probe to control the rotation profile. Accelerating the edge plasma relative to the rapidly rotating NBI-driven core decreases the flow shear, while decelerating the edge plasma increases the flow shear in the region of strong energetic ion population. Mode damping rates measured as a function of the local flow shear are compared to ideal MHD predictions. Work supported by US DOE.

Measurements of Impurity Particle Transport Associated with Drift-Wave Turbulence in MST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishizawa, Takashi; Nornberg, Mark; Boguski, John; Craig, Darren; den Hartog, Daniel; Pueschel, M. J.; Sarff, John; Terry, Paul; Williams, Zach; Xing, Zichuan

2017-10-01

Understanding and controlling impurity transport in a toroidal magnetized plasma is one of the critical issues that need to be addressed in order to achieve controlled fusion. Gyrokinetic modeling shows turbulence can drive impurity transport, but direct measurements of the turbulent flux have not been made. Particle balance is typically used to infer the presence of turbulent impurity transport. We report, for the first time in a toroidal plasma, direct measurements of turbulence-driven impurity transport. Trapped electron mode (TEM) turbulence appears in MST plasmas when MHD tearing fluctuations are suppressed. Impurity ion-Doppler spectroscopy is used to correlate impurity density and radial velocity fluctuations associated with TEM. Small Doppler shifts associated with the radial velocity fluctuations (rms 1km/s) are resolved with the use of a new linearized spectrum correlation analysis method, which improves the rejection of Poisson noise. The method employs frequency-domain correlation analysis to expose the fluctuation and transport spectrum. The C+ 2 impurity transport velocity driven by turbulence is found to be 48m/s (inward), which is sufficiently large to impact an impurity flux balance in MST improved-confinement plasmas. This work is supported by the US DOE.

Fourier-domain study of drift turbulence driven sheared flow in a laboratory plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, M.; Tynan, G. R.; Holland, C.

2010-03-15

Frequency-resolved nonlinear internal and kinetic energy transfer rates have been measured in the Controlled Shear Decorrelation Experiment (CSDX) linear plasma device using a recently developed technique [Xu et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 042312 (2009)]. The results clearly show a net kinetic energy transfer into the zonal flow frequency region, consistent with previous time-domain observations of turbulence-driven shear flows [Tynan et al., Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 48, S51 (2006)]. The experimentally measured dispersion relation has been used to map the frequency-resolved energy transfer rates into the wave number domain, which shows that the shear flow drive comes from midrange (k{sub t}hetarho{submore » S}>0.3) drift fluctuations, and the strongest flow drive comes from k{sub t}hetarho{sub S}approx =1 fluctuations. Linear growth rates have been inferred from a linearized Hasegawa-Wakatani model [Hasegawa et al., Phys. Fluids 22, 2122 (1979)], which indicates that the m=0 mode is linearly stable and the m=1-10 modes (corresponding to k{sub t}hetarho{sub S}>0.3) are linearly unstable for the n=1 and n=2 radial eigenmodes. This is consistent with our energy transfer measurements.« less

INSTABILITIES DRIVEN BY THE DRIFT AND TEMPERATURE ANISOTROPY OF ALPHA PARTICLES IN THE SOLAR WIND

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Verscharen, Daniel; Bourouaine, Sofiane; Chandran, Benjamin D. G., E-mail: daniel.verscharen@unh.edu, E-mail: s.bourouaine@unh.edu, E-mail: benjamin.chandran@unh.edu

2013-08-20

We investigate the conditions under which parallel-propagating Alfven/ion-cyclotron (A/IC) waves and fast-magnetosonic/whistler (FM/W) waves are driven unstable by the differential flow and temperature anisotropy of alpha particles in the solar wind. We focus on the limit in which w{sub Parallel-To {alpha}} {approx}> 0.25v{sub A}, where w{sub Parallel-To {alpha}} is the parallel alpha-particle thermal speed and v{sub A} is the Alfven speed. We derive analytic expressions for the instability thresholds of these waves, which show, e.g., how the minimum unstable alpha-particle beam speed depends upon w{sub Parallel-To {alpha}}/v{sub A}, the degree of alpha-particle temperature anisotropy, and the alpha-to-proton temperature ratio. Wemore » validate our analytical results using numerical solutions to the full hot-plasma dispersion relation. Consistent with previous work, we find that temperature anisotropy allows A/IC waves and FM/W waves to become unstable at significantly lower values of the alpha-particle beam speed U{sub {alpha}} than in the isotropic-temperature case. Likewise, differential flow lowers the minimum temperature anisotropy needed to excite A/IC or FM/W waves relative to the case in which U{sub {alpha}} = 0. We discuss the relevance of our results to alpha particles in the solar wind near 1 AU.« less

Mode-coupling and wave-particle interactions for unstable ion-acoustic waves.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, P.; Fried, B. D.

1972-01-01

A theory for the spatial development of linearly unstable, coupled waves is presented in which both quasilinear and mode-coupling effects are treated in a self-consistent manner. Steady-state excitation of two waves is assumed at the boundary x = 0, the plasma being homogeneous in the y and z directions. Coupled equations are derived for the x dependence of the amplitudes of the primary waves and the secondary waves, correct through terms of second order in the wave amplitude, but without the usual approximation of small growth rates. This general formalism is then applied to the case of coupled ion-acoustic waves driven unstable by an ion beam streaming in the direction of the x axis. If the modifications of the ion beam by the waves (quasilinear effects) are ignored, explosive instabilities (singularities in all of the amplitudes at finite x) are found even when all of the waves have positive energy. If these wave-particle interactions are included, the solutions are no longer singular, and all of the amplitudes have finite maxima.

Mode coupling and wave particle interactions for unstable ion acoustic waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, P.; Fried, B. D.

1972-01-01

A theory for the spatial development of linearly unstable, coupled waves is presented in which both quasi-linear and mode coupling effects are treated in a self-consistent manner. Steady state excitation of two waves is assumed at the boundary x = 0, the plasma being homogeneous in the y and z directions. Coupled equations are derived for the x dependence of the amplitudes of the primary waves and the secondary waves, correct through second order terms in the wave amplitude, but without usual approximation of small growth rates. This general formalism is then applied to the case of coupled ion acoustic waves driven unstable by an ion beam streaming in the direction of the x axis. If the modifications of the ion beam by the waves (quasi-linear effects) are ignored, explosive instabilities (singularities in all of the amplitudes at finite x) are found, even when all of the waves have positive energy. If these wave-particle interactions are included, the solutions are no longer singular, and all of the amplitudes have finite maxima.

Regimes of enhanced electromagnetic emission in beam-plasma interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Timofeev, I. V.; Annenkov, V. V.; Arzhannikov, A. V.

2015-11-15

The ways to improve the efficiency of electromagnetic waves generation in laboratory experiments with high-current relativistic electron beams injected into a magnetized plasma are discussed. It is known that such a beam can lose, in a plasma, a significant part of its energy by exciting a high level of turbulence and heating plasma electrons. Beam-excited plasma oscillations may simultaneously participate in nonlinear processes resulting in a fundamental and second harmonic emissions. It is obvious, however, that in the developed plasma turbulence the role of these emissions in the total energy balance is always negligible. In this paper, we investigate whethermore » electromagnetic radiation generated in the beam-plasma system can be sufficiently enhanced by the direct linear conversion of resonant beam-driven modes into electromagnetic ones on preformed regular inhomogeneities of plasma density. Due to the high power of relativistic electron beams, the mechanism discussed may become the basis for the generator of powerful sub-terahertz radiation.« less

Non-modal theory of the kinetic ion temperature gradient driven instability of plasma shear flows across the magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mikhailenko, V. V., E-mail: vladimir@pusan.ac.kr; Mikhailenko, V. S.; Lee, Hae June, E-mail: haejune@pusan.ac.kr

2016-06-15

The temporal evolution of the kinetic ion temperature gradient driven instability and of the related anomalous transport of the ion thermal energy of plasma shear flow across the magnetic field is investigated analytically. This instability develops in a steady plasma due to the inverse ion Landau damping and has the growth rate of the order of the frequency when the ion temperature is equal to or above the electron temperature. The investigation is performed employing the non-modal methodology of the shearing modes which are the waves that have a static spatial structure in the frame of the background flow. Themore » solution of the governing linear integral equation for the perturbed potential displays that the instability experiences the non-modal temporal evolution in the shearing flow during which the unstable perturbation becomes very different from a canonical modal form. It transforms into the non-modal structure with vanishing frequency and growth rate with time. The obtained solution of the nonlinear integral equation, which accounts for the random scattering of the angle of the ion gyro-motion due to the interaction of ions with ensemble of shearing waves, reveals similar but accelerated process of the transformations of the perturbations into the zero frequency structures. It was obtained that in the shear flow the anomalous ion thermal conductivity decays with time. It is a strictly non-modal effect, which originates from the temporal evolution of the shearing modes turbulence.« less

Radiative precursors driven by converging blast waves in noble gases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burdiak, G. C.; Lebedev, S. V.; Harvey-Thompson, A. J.

2014-03-15

A detailed study of the radiative precursor that develops ahead of converging blast waves in gas-filled cylindrical liner z-pinch experiments is presented. The experiment is capable of magnetically driving 20 km s{sup −1} blast waves through gases of densities of the order 10{sup −5} g cm{sup −3} (see Burdiak et al. [High Energy Density Phys. 9(1), 52–62 (2013)] for a thorough description). Data were collected for Ne, Ar, and Xe gas-fills. The geometry of the setup allows a determination of the plasma parameters both in the precursor and across the shock, along a nominally uniform line of sight that is perpendicularmore » to the propagation of the shock waves. Radiation from the shock was able to excite NeI, ArII, and XeII/XeIII precursor spectral features. It is shown that the combination of interferometry and optical spectroscopy data is inconsistent with upstream plasmas being in LTE. Specifically, electron density gradients do not correspond to any apparent temperature change in the emission spectra. Experimental data are compared to 1D radiation hydrodynamics HELIOS-CR simulations and to PrismSPECT atomic physics calculations to assist in a physical interpretation of the observations. We show that upstream plasma is likely in the process of being radiatively heated and that the emission from a small percentage of ionised atoms within a cool background plasma dominates the emission spectra. Experiments were carried out on the MAGPIE and COBRA pulsed-power facilities at Imperial College London and Cornell University, respectively.« less

Dynamic Response of a Magnetized Plasma to AN External Source: Application to Space and Solid State Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Huai-Bei

This dissertation examines the dynamic response of a magnetoplasma to an external time-dependent current source. To achieve this goal a new method which combines analytic and numerical techniques to study the dynamic response of a 3-D magnetoplasma to a time-dependent current source imposed across the magnetic field was developed. The set of the cold electron and/or ion plasma equations and Maxwell's equations are first solved analytically in (k, omega)^ace; inverse Laplace and 3 -D complex Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) techniques are subsequently used to numerically transform the radiation fields and plasma currents from the (k, omega) ^ace to the (r, t) space. The dynamic responses of the electron plasma and of the compensated two-component plasma to external current sources are studied separately. The results show that the electron plasma responds to a time -varying current source imposed across the magnetic field by exciting whistler/helicon waves and forming of an expanding local current loop, induced by field aligned plasma currents. The current loop consists of two anti-parallel field-aligned current channels concentrated at the ends of the imposed current and a cross-field current region connecting these channels. The latter is driven by an electron Hall drift. A compensated two-component plasma responds to the same current source as following: (a) For slow time scales tau > Omega_sp{i}{-1} , it generates Alfven waves and forms a non-local current loop in which the ion polarization currents dominate the cross-field current; (b) For fast time scales tau < Omega_sp{i}{-1} , the dynamic response of the compensated two-component plasma is the same as that of the electron plasma. The characteristics of the current closure region are determined by the background plasma density, the magnetic field and the time scale of the current source. This study has applications to a diverse range of space and solid state plasma problems. These problems include current closure in emf inducing tethered satellite systems (TSS), generation of ELF/VLF waves by ionospheric heating, current closure and quasineutrality in thin magnetopause transitions, and short electromagnetic pulse generation in solid state plasmas. The cross-field current in TSS builds up on a time scale corresponding to the whistler waves and results in local current closure. Amplitude modulated HF ionospheric heating generates ELF/VLF waves by forming a horizontal magnetic dipole. The dipole is formed by the current closure in the modified region. For thin transition the time-dependent cross-field polarization field at the magnetopause could be neutralized by the formation of field aligned current loops that close by a cross-field electron Hall current. A moving current source in a solid state plasma results in microwave emission if the speed of the source exceeds the local phase velocity of the helicon or Alfven waves. Detailed analysis of the above problems is presented in the thesis.

Stochastic acceleration of electrons from multiple uncorrelated plasma waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gee, David; Michel, Pierre; Wurtele, Jonathan

2017-10-01

One-dimensional theory puts a strict limit on the maximum energy attainable by an electron trapped and accelerated by an electron plasma wave (EPW). However, experimental measurements of hot electron distributions accelerated by stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) in ICF experiments typically show a thermal distribution with temperatures of the order of the kinetic energy of the resonant EPW's (Thot mvp2 , where vp is the phase velocity of the EPW's driven by SRS) and no clear cutoff at high energies. In this project, we are investigating conditions under which electrons can be stochastically accelerated by multiple uncorrelated EPW's, such as those generated by incoherent laser speckles in large laser spots like the ones used on NIF ( mm-size), and reproduce distributions similar to those observed in experiments. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC52-07NA27344.

High latitude electromagnetic plasma wave emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurnett, D. A.

1983-01-01

The principal types of electromagnetic plasma wave emission produced in the high latitude auroral regions are reviewed. Three types of radiation are described: auroral kilometric radiation, auroral hiss, and Z mode radiation. Auroral kilometric radiation is a very intense radio emission generated in the free space R-X mode by electrons associated with the formation of discrete auroral arcs in the local evening. Theories suggest that this radiation is an electron cyclotron resonance instability driven by an enhanced loss cone in the auroral acceleration region at altitudes of about 1 to 2 R sub E. Auroral hiss is a somewhat weaker whistler mode emission generated by low energy (100 eV to 10 keV) auroral electrons. The auroral hiss usually has a V shaped frequency time spectrum caused by a freqency dependent beaming of the whistler mode into a conical beam directed upward or downward along the magnetic field.

Extended fusion yield integral using pathway idea in case of Shock-compressed heated plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Dilip; Haubold, Hans

The extended non-resonant thermonuclear reaction rate probability integral obtained in Haubold and Kumar [Haubold, H.J. and Kumar, D.: 2008, Extension of thermonuclear functions through the pathway model including Maxwell-Boltzmann and Tsallis distributions, Astroparticle Physics, 29, 70-76] is used to evaluate the fusion energy by itegrating it over temperature. The closed form representation of the extended reaction rate integral via Meijer's G-function is expressed as a solution of a homogeneous differential equation. A physical model of Guderley[Guderley G. :1942, Starke kugelige und zylindrische Verdichtungsstsse in der Nhe des Kugelmittelpunktes bzw. der Zylinderachse, Luftfahrtforschung, 19, 302] has been considered for the laser driven hydrodynamical process in a compressed fusion plasma and heated strong spherical shock wave. The fusion yield integral obtained in the paper is compared with the standard fusion yield ob-tained by Haubold and John [Haubold, H.J. and John, R.W.:1981, Analytical representation of the thermonuclear reaction rate and fusion energy production in a spherical plasma shock wave, Plasma Physics, 5, 399-411]. The pathway parameter used in this paper is given an interpretation in terms of moments.

Simulations of High Harmonic Fast Wave Heating on the C-2U Advanced Beam-Driven Field-Reversed Configuration Device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiaokang; Petrov, Yuri; Ceccherini, Francesco; Koehn, Alf; Galeotti, Laura; Dettrick, Sean; Binderbauer, Michl

2017-10-01

Numerous efforts have been made at Tri-Alpha Energy (TAE) to theoretically explore the physics of microwave electron heating in field-reversed configuration (FRC) plasmas. For the fixed 2D profiles of plasma density and temperature for both electrons and thermal ions and equilibrium field of the C-2U machine, simulations with GENRAY-C ray-tracing code have been conducted for the ratios of ω/ωci[D] in the range of 6 - 20. Launch angles and antenna radial and axial positions have been optimized in order to simultaneously achieve good wave penetration into the core of FRC plasmas and efficient power damping on electrons. It is found that in an optimal regime, single pass absorption efficiency is 100% and most of the power is deposited inside the separatrix of FRC plasmas, with power damping efficiency of about 72% on electrons and less than 19% on ions. Calculations have clearly demonstrated that substantial power absorption on electrons is mainly attributed to high beta enhancement of magnetic pumping; complete power damping occurs before Landau damping has a significant effect on power absorption.

Shock-Wave Acceleration of Protons on OMEGA EP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haberberger, D.; Froula, D. H.; Pak, A.; Link, A.; Patel, P.; Fiuza, F.; Tochitsky, S.; Joshi, C.

2015-11-01

Recent experimental results using shock-wave acceleration (SWA) driven by a CO2 laser in a H2 gas-jet plasma have shown the possibility of producing proton beams with energy spreads <10% and with energies of up to 20 MeV using a modest peak laser power of 4 TW. Here we propose the investigation of the scaling of the SWA mechanism to higher laser powers using the 1- μm OMEGA EP Laser System at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics. The required tailored plasma profile is created by expanding a CH target using the thermal x-ray emission from a UV ablated material. The desired characteristics optimal for SWA are met: (a) peak plasma density is overcritical for the 1- μm main pulse and (b) the plasma profile exponentially decays over a long scale length on the rear side. Results will be shown using a 4 ω probe to experimentally characterize the plasma density profile. Scaling from simulations of the SWA mechanism shows that ion energies in the range of 100 MeV/amu are achievable with a focused a0 of 5 from the OMEGA EP Laser System. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration under Award Number DE-NA0001944.

Coherent control of plasma dynamics by feedback-optimized wavefront manipulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He, Z.-H.; Hou, B.; Gao, G.

2015-05-15

Plasmas generated by an intense laser pulse can support coherent structures such as large amplitude wakefield that can affect the outcome of an experiment. We investigate the coherent control of plasma dynamics by feedback-optimized wavefront manipulation using a deformable mirror. The experimental outcome is directly used as feedback in an evolutionary algorithm for optimization of the phase front of the driving laser pulse. In this paper, we applied this method to two different experiments: (i) acceleration of electrons in laser driven plasma waves and (ii) self-compression of optical pulses induced by ionization nonlinearity. The manipulation of the laser wavefront leadsmore » to orders of magnitude improvement to electron beam properties such as the peak charge, beam divergence, and transverse emittance. The demonstration of coherent control for plasmas opens new possibilities for future laser-based accelerators and their applications.« less

Study of cavity type antenna structure of large-area 915 MHz ultra-high frequency wave plasma device based on three-dimensional finite difference time-domain analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, Xijiang; Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johoku, Hamamatsu 432-8561; Kunii, Kazuki

2013-11-14

A large-area planar plasma source with a resonant cavity type launcher driven by a 915 MHz ultra-high frequency wave was developed. Theoretical analysis with the three-dimensional finite difference time-domain simulation was carried out to determine the optimized launcher structure by analyzing the resonant transverse magnetic mode in the resonant cavity. Numerical result expects that the resonant electric field distribution inside the cavity dominantly consists of the TM{sub 410} mode. The resonant cavity type launcher having 8 holes in an octagonal geometry was designed to fit the resonant transverse magnetic mode. Adjusting 8 hole positions of the launcher to the fieldmore » pattern of the resonant TM{sub 410} mode, we found that the plasma density increased about 40%∼50% from 1.0∼1.1 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup −3} to ∼1.5 × 10{sup 11} cm{sup −3} at the same incident power of 2.5 kW, compared with the previous results with the launcher having 6 holes in the hexagonal geometry. It is also noted that the electron density changes almost linearly with the incident wave power without any mode jumps.« less

Laser-driven electron beam acceleration and future application to compact light sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafz, N.; Jeong, T. M.; Lee, S. K.; Pae, K. H.; Sung, J. H.; Choi, I. W.; Yu, T. J.; Jeong, Y. U.; Lee, J.

2009-07-01

Laser-driven plasma accelerators are gaining much attention by the advanced accelerator community due to the potential these accelerators hold in miniaturizing future high-energy and medium-energy machines. In the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA), the ponderomotive force of an ultrashort high intensity laser pulse excites a longitudinal plasma wave or bubble. Due to huge charge separation, electric fields created in the plasma bubble can be several orders of magnitude higher than those available in conventional microwave and RF-based accelerator facilities which are limited (up to ˜100 MV/m) by material breakdown. Therefore, if an electron bunch is injected into the bubble in phase with its field, it will gain relativistic energies within an extremely short distance. Here, in the LWFA we show the generation of high-quality and high-energy electron beams up to the GeV-class within a few millimeters of gas-jet plasmas irradiated by tens of terawatt ultrashort laser pulses. Thus we realize approximately four orders of magnitude acceleration gradients higher than available by conventional technology. As a practical application of the stable high-energy electron beam generation, we are planning on injecting the electron beams into a few-meters long conventional undulator in order to realize compact X-ray synchrotron (immediate) and FEL (future) light sources. Stable laser-driven electron beam and radiation devices will surely open a new era in science, medicine and technology and will benefit a larger number of users in those fields.

Exploration of spherical torus physics in the NSTX device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, M.; Kaye, S. M.; Peng, Y.-K. M.; Barnes, G.; Blanchard, W.; Carter, M. D.; Chrzanowski, J.; Dudek, L.; Ewig, R.; Gates, D.; Hatcher, R. E.; Jarboe, T.; Jardin, S. C.; Johnson, D.; Kaita, R.; Kalish, M.; Kessel, C. E.; Kugel, H. W.; Maingi, R.; Majeski, R.; Manickam, J.; McCormack, B.; Menard, J.; Mueller, D.; Nelson, B. A.; Nelson, B. E.; Neumeyer, C.; Oliaro, G.; Paoletti, F.; Parsells, R.; Perry, E.; Pomphrey, N.; Ramakrishnan, S.; Raman, R.; Rewoldt, G.; Robinson, J.; Roquemore, A. L.; Ryan, P.; Sabbagh, S.; Swain, D.; Synakowski, E. J.; Viola, M.; Williams, M.; Wilson, J. R.; NSTX Team

2000-03-01

The National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) is being built at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory to test the fusion physics principles for the spherical torus concept at the MA level. The NSTX nominal plasma parameters are R0 = 85 cm, a = 67 cm, R/a >= 1.26, Bt = 3 kG, Ip = 1 MA, q95 = 14, elongation κ <= 2.2, triangularity δ <= 0.5 and a plasma pulse length of up to 5 s. The plasma heating/current drive tools are high harmonic fast wave (6 MW, 5 s), neutral beam injection (5 MW, 80 keV, 5 s) and coaxial helicity injection. Theoretical calculations predict that NSTX should provide exciting possibilities for exploring a number of important new physics regimes, including very high plasma β, naturally high plasma elongation, high bootstrap current fraction, absolute magnetic well and high pressure driven sheared flow. In addition, the NSTX programme plans to explore fully non-inductive plasma startup as well as a dispersive scrape-off layer for heat and particle flux handling.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pirozhkov, A.S.; Kando, M.; Esirkepov, T.Zh.

We propose a new mechanism of high-order harmonic generation during an interaction of a high-intensity laser pulse with underdense plasma. A tightly focused laser pulse creates a cavity in plasma pushing electrons aside and exciting the wake wave and the bow wave. At the joint of the cavity wall and the bow wave boundary, an annular spike of electron density is formed. This spike surrounds the cavity and moves together with the laser pulse. Collective motion of electrons in the spike driven by the laser field generates high-order harmonics. A strong localization of the electron spike, its robustness to oscillationsmore » imposed by the laser field and, consequently, its ability to produce high-order harmonics is explained by catastrophe theory. The proposed mechanism explains the experimental observations of high-order harmonics with the 9 TW J-KAREN laser (JAEA, Japan) and the 120 TW Astra Gemini laser (CLF RAL, UK) [A. S. Pirozhkov, et al., arXiv:1004.4514 (2010); A. S. Pirozhkov et al, AIP Proceedings, this volume]. The theory is corroborated by high-resolution two-and three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.« less

MPI parallelization of Vlasov codes for the simulation of nonlinear laser-plasma interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savchenko, V.; Won, K.; Afeyan, B.; Decyk, V.; Albrecht-Marc, M.; Ghizzo, A.; Bertrand, P.

2003-10-01

The simulation of optical mixing driven KEEN waves [1] and electron plasma waves [1] in laser-produced plasmas require nonlinear kinetic models and massive parallelization. We use Massage Passing Interface (MPI) libraries and Appleseed [2] to solve the Vlasov Poisson system of equations on an 8 node dual processor MAC G4 cluster. We use the semi-Lagrangian time splitting method [3]. It requires only row-column exchanges in the global data redistribution, minimizing the total number of communications between processors. Recurrent communication patterns for 2D FFTs involves global transposition. In the Vlasov-Maxwell case, we use splitting into two 1D spatial advections and a 2D momentum advection [4]. Discretized momentum advection equations have a double loop structure with the outer index being assigned to different processors. We adhere to a code structure with separate routines for calculations and data management for parallel computations. [1] B. Afeyan et al., IFSA 2003 Conference Proceedings, Monterey, CA [2] V. K. Decyk, Computers in Physics, 7, 418 (1993) [3] Sonnendrucker et al., JCP 149, 201 (1998) [4] Begue et al., JCP 151, 458 (1999)

Laser-driven interactions and resultant instabilities in materials with high dielectric constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajpoot, Moolchandra; Dixit, Sanjay

2015-07-01

An analytical investigation of nonlinear interactions resulting in parametric amplification of acoustic wave is made by obtaining the dispersion relation using hydrodynamic model of inhomogeneous plasma by applying large static field at an arbitrary angle with the pump wave. The investigation shows that many early studies have neglected dependence of dielectric constant on deformation of materials but deformation of materials does infect depends on the dielectric constant of medium. Thus we have assumed to high dielectric material like BaTiO3 which resulted in substantially high growth rate of threshold electric field which opens a new dimension to study nonlinear interactions and instabilities.

Experimental observation of standing wave effect in low-pressure very-high-frequency capacitive discharges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Yong-Xin; Gao, Fei; Liu, Jia

2014-07-28

Radial uniformity measurements of plasma density were carried out by using a floating double probe in a cylindrical (21 cm in electrode diameter) capacitive discharge reactor driven over a wide range of frequencies (27–220 MHz). At low rf power, a multiple-node structure of standing wave effect was observed at 130 MHz. The secondary density peak caused by the standing wave effect became pronounced and shifts toward the axis as the driving frequency further to increase, indicative of a much more shortened standing-wave wavelength. With increasing rf power, the secondary density peak shift toward the radial edge, namely, the standing-wave wavelength was increased,more » in good qualitative agreement with the previous theory and simulation results. At higher pressures and high frequencies, the rf power was primarily deposited at the periphery of the electrode, due to the fact that the waves were strongly damped as they propagated from the discharge edge into the center.« less

Winds from Luminous Late-Type Stars: II. Broadband Frequency Distribution of Alfven Waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Airapetian, V.; Carpenter, K. G.; Ofman, L.

2010-01-01

We present the numerical simulations of winds from evolved giant stars using a fully non-linear, time dependent 2.5-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code. This study extends our previous fully non-linear MHD wind simulations to include a broadband frequency spectrum of Alfven waves that drive winds from red giant stars. We calculated four Alfven wind models that cover the whole range of Alfven wave frequency spectrum to characterize the role of freely propagated and reflected Alfven waves in the gravitationally stratified atmosphere of a late-type giant star. Our simulations demonstrate that, unlike linear Alfven wave-driven wind models, a stellar wind model based on plasma acceleration due to broadband non-linear Alfven waves, can consistently reproduce the wide range of observed radial velocity profiles of the winds, their terminal velocities and the observed mass loss rates. Comparison of the calculated mass loss rates with the empirically determined mass loss rate for alpha Tau suggests an anisotropic and time-dependent nature of stellar winds from evolved giants.

Electromagnetic PIC modeling with a background gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verboncoeur, J. P.; Cooperberg, D.

1997-02-01

Modeling the interaction of relativistic electromagnetic plasmas with a background gas is described. The timescales range over many orders of magnitude, from the electromagnetic Courant condition (˜10-12 sec) to electron-neutral collision times (˜10-7 sec) to ion transit times (˜10-5 sec). For this work, the traditional Monte Carlo algorithm [1] is described for relativistic electrons. Subcycling is employed to improve efficiency, and smoothing is employed to reduce particle noise. Applications include plasma-focused electron guns, gas-filled microwave tubes, surface wave discharges driven at microwave frequencies, and electron-cyclotron resonance discharges. The method is implemented in the OOPIC code [2].

First tsunami gravity wave detection in ionospheric radio occultation data

DOE PAGES

Coïsson, Pierdavide; Lognonné, Philippe; Walwer, Damian; ...

2015-05-09

After the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Tohoku, the ionospheric signature of the displacements induced in the overlying atmosphere has been observed by ground stations in various regions of the Pacific Ocean. We analyze here the data of radio occultation satellites, detecting the tsunami-driven gravity wave for the first time using a fully space-based ionospheric observation system. One satellite of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) recorded an occultation in the region above the tsunami 2.5 h after the earthquake. The ionosphere was sounded from top to bottom, thus providing themore » vertical structure of the gravity wave excited by the tsunami propagation, observed as oscillations of the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC). The observed vertical wavelength was about 50 km, with maximum amplitude exceeding 1 total electron content unit when the occultation reached 200 km height. We compared the observations with synthetic data obtained by summation of the tsunami-coupled gravity normal modes of the Earth/Ocean/atmosphere system, which models the associated motion of the ionosphere plasma. These results provide experimental constraints on the attenuation of the gravity wave with altitude due to atmosphere viscosity, improving the understanding of the propagation of tsunami-driven gravity waves in the upper atmosphere. They demonstrate that the amplitude of the tsunami can be estimated to within 20% by the recorded ionospheric data.« less

Stormtime coupling of the ring current, plasmasphere, and topside ionosphere: Electromagnetic and plasma disturbances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishin, E. V.; Burke, W. J.

2005-07-01

We compare plasma and field disturbances observed in the ring current/plasmasphere overlap region and in the conjugate ionosphere during the magnetic storm of 5 June 1991. Data come from the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) flying in a geostationary transfer orbit and three satellites of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) series in Sun-synchronous polar orbits. In the region between ring current nose structures and the electron plasma sheet, CRRES detected wave-like features in local electric and magnetic fields, embedded in structured cold plasmas. Mapped to the ionosphere, these fields should reflect structuring within subauroral plasma streams (SAPS). Indeed, during the period of interest, DMSP F8, F9, and F10 satellites observed highly structured SAPS in the evening ionosphere at topside altitudes. They were collocated with precipitating ring current ions, enhanced fluxes of suprathermal electrons and ions, elevated electron temperatures, and irregular plasma density troughs. Overall, these events are similar to electromagnetic structures observed by DMSP satellites within SAPS during recent geomagnetic storms (Mishin et al., 2003, 2004). Their features can be explained in terms of Alfvén and fast magnetosonic perturbations. We developed a scenario for the formation of elevated electron temperatures at the equatorward side of the SAPS. It includes a lower-hybrid drift instability driven by diamagnetic currents, consistent with strong lower- and upper-hybrid plasma wave activity and intense fluxes of the low-energy electrons and ions near the ring current's inner edge.

A linear helicon plasma device with controllable magnetic field gradient

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barada, Kshitish K.; Chattopadhyay, P. K.; Ghosh, J.

2012-06-15

Current free double layers (CFDLs) are localized potential structures having spatial dimensions - Debye lengths and potential drops of more than local electron temperature across them. CFDLs do not need a current for them to be sustained and hence they differ from the current driven double layers. Helicon antenna produced plasmas in an expanded chamber along with an expanding magnetic field have shown the existence of CFDL near the expansion region. A helicon plasma device has been designed, fabricated, and installed in the Institute for Plasma Research, India to study the role of maximum magnetic field gradient as well asmore » its location with respect to the geometrical expansion region of the chamber in CFDL formation. The special feature of this machine consisting of two chambers of different radii is its capability of producing different magnetic field gradients near the physical boundary between the two chambers either by changing current in one particular coil in the direction opposite to that in other coils and/or by varying the position of this particular coil. Although, the machine is primarily designed for CFDL experiments, it is also capable of carrying out many basic plasma physics experiments such as wave propagation, wave coupling, and plasma instabilities in a varying magnetic field topology. In this paper, we will present the details of the machine construction, its specialties, and some preliminary results about the production and characterization of helicon plasma in this machine.« less

Cyclotron maser and plasma wave growth in magnetic loops

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamilton, Russell J.; Petrosian, Vahe

1990-01-01

Cyclotron maser and plasma wave growth which results from electrons accelerated in magnetic loops are studied. The evolution of the accelerated electron distribution is determined by solving the kinetic equation including Coulomb collisions and magnetic convergence. It is found that for modest values of the column depth of the loop the growth rates of instabilities are significantly reduced and that the reduction is much larger for the cyclotron modes than for the plasma wave modes. The large decrease in the growth rate with column depth suggests that solar coronal densities must be much lower than commonly accepted in order for the cyclotron maser to operate. The density depletion has to be similar to that which occurs during auroral kilometric radiation events in the magnetosphere. The resulting distributions are much more complicated than the idealized distributions used in many theoretical studies, but the fastest growing mode can still simply be determined by the ratio of electron plasma to gyrofrequency, U=omega(sub p)/Omega(sub e). However, the dominant modes are different than for the idealized situations with growth of the z-mode largest for U approximately less than 0.5, and second harmonic x-mode (s=2) or fundamental o-mode (s=1) the dominant modes for 0.5 approximately less than U approximately less than 1. The electron distributions typically contain more than one inverted feature which could give rise to wave growth. It is shown that this can result in simultaneous amplification of more than one mode with each mode driven by a different feature and can be observed, for example, by differences in the rise times of the right and left circularly polarized components of the associated spike bursts.

High-field plasma acceleration in a high-ionization-potential gas

DOE PAGES

Corde, S.; Adli, E.; Allen, J. M.; ...

2016-06-17

Plasma accelerators driven by particle beams are a very promising future accelerator technology as they can sustain high accelerating fields over long distances with high energy efficiency. They rely on the excitation of a plasma wave in the wake of a drive beam. To generate the plasma, a neutral gas can be field-ionized by the head of the drive beam, in which case the distance of acceleration and energy gain can be strongly limited by head erosion. In our research, we overcome this limit and demonstrate that electrons in the tail of a drive beam can be accelerated by upmore » to 27 GeV in a high-ionization-potential gas (argon), boosting their initial 20.35 GeV energy by 130%. Particle-in-cell simulations show that the argon plasma is sustaining very high electric fields, of ~150 GV m -1, over ~20 cm. Lastly, the results open new possibilities for the design of particle beam drivers and plasma sources.« less

Numerical Simulation of Energy Conversion Mechanism in Electric Explosion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wanjun, Wang; Junjun, Lv; Mingshui, Zhu; Qiubo, Fu; EFIs Integration R&D Group Team

2017-06-01

Electric explosion happens when micron-scale metal films such as copper film is stimulated by short-time current pulse, while generating high temperature and high pressure plasma. The expansion process of the plasma plays an important role in the study of the generation of shock waves and the study of the EOS of matter under high pressure. In this paper, the electric explosion process is divided into two stages: the energy deposition stage and the quasi-isentropic expansion stage, and a dynamic EOS of plasma considering the energy replenishment is established. On this basis, flyer driven by plasma is studied numerically, the pressure and the internal energy of plasma in the energy deposition stage and the quasi - isentropic expansion stage are obtained by comparing the velocity history of the flyer with the experimental results. An energy conversion model is established, and the energy conversion efficiency of each process is obtained, and the influence of impedance matching relationship between flyer and metal plasma on the energy conversion efficiency is proposed in this paper.

Ionization waves of arbitrary velocity driven by a flying focus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palastro, J. P.; Turnbull, D.; Bahk, S.-W.; Follett, R. K.; Shaw, J. L.; Haberberger, D.; Bromage, J.; Froula, D. H.

2018-03-01

A chirped laser pulse focused by a chromatic lens exhibits a dynamic, or flying, focus in which the trajectory of the peak intensity decouples from the group velocity. In a medium, the flying focus can trigger an ionization front that follows this trajectory. By adjusting the chirp, the ionization front can be made to travel at an arbitrary velocity along the optical axis. We present analytical calculations and simulations describing the propagation of the flying focus pulse, the self-similar form of its intensity profile, and ionization wave formation. The ability to control the speed of the ionization wave and, in conjunction, mitigate plasma refraction has the potential to advance several laser-based applications, including Raman amplification, photon acceleration, high-order-harmonic generation, and THz generation.

Theoretical studies on rapid fluctuations in solar flares

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vlahos, Loukas

1986-01-01

Rapid fluctuations in the emission of solar bursts may have many different origins e.g., the acceleration process can have a pulsating structure, the propagation of energetic electrons and ions can be interrupted from plasma instabilities and finally the electromagnetic radiation produced by the interaction of electrostatic and electromagnetic waves may have a pulsating behavior in time. In two separate studies the conditions for rapid fluctuations in solar flare driven emission were analyzed.

RECONNECTION-DRIVEN CORONAL-HOLE JETS WITH GRAVITY AND SOLAR WIND

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karpen, J. T.; DeVore, C. R.; Antiochos, S. K.

Coronal-hole jets occur ubiquitously in the Sun's coronal holes, at EUV and X-ray bright points associated with intrusions of minority magnetic polarity. The embedded-bipole model for these jets posits that they are driven by explosive, fast reconnection between the stressed closed field of the embedded bipole and the open field of the surrounding coronal hole. Previous numerical studies in Cartesian geometry, assuming uniform ambient magnetic field and plasma while neglecting gravity and solar wind, demonstrated that the model is robust and can produce jet-like events in simple configurations. We have extended these investigations by including spherical geometry, gravity, and solarmore » wind in a nonuniform, coronal hole-like ambient atmosphere. Our simulations confirm that the jet is initiated by the onset of a kink-like instability of the internal closed field, which induces a burst of reconnection between the closed and external open field, launching a helical jet. Our new results demonstrate that the jet propagation is sustained through the outer corona, in the form of a traveling nonlinear Alfvén wave front trailed by slower-moving plasma density enhancements that are compressed and accelerated by the wave. This finding agrees well with observations of white-light coronal-hole jets, and can explain microstreams and torsional Alfvén waves detected in situ in the solar wind. We also use our numerical results to deduce scaling relationships between properties of the coronal source region and the characteristics of the resulting jet, which can be tested against observations.« less

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spong, D. A.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Paz-Soldan, C.; Du, X. D.; Thome, K. E.; Van Zeeland, M. A.; Collins, C.; Lvovskiy, A.; Moyer, R. A.; Austin, M. E.; Brennan, D. P.; Liu, C.; Jaeger, E. F.; Lau, C.

2018-04-01

DIII-D experiments at low density (ne˜1019 m-3 ) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100-200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limit-cycle-like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission that follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.

Structure of Kinetic Alfvén Waves of Small Transverse Scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, G. J.; Maggs, J. E.

1996-11-01

This analytical study illustrates the spatial pattern of kinetic Alfvén waves excited by a current-modulating disk whose dimension R transverse to the confining magnetic field is comparable to cs / Ω_i. The radial structure of the wave azimuthal magnetic field consists of 3 regions: a Bessel function behavior for r < R, a near null at r ~ R, and a driven Airy pattern for r >> R. The pattern spreads at an angle given by tan θ = (ω/Ω_i)(c_s/V_A)/(2 \\cdot 6), where ω is the modulation frequency and VA the Alfvén speed. This arises because there is a maximum value at finite k_⊥ for the ratio of the perpendicular to parallel group velocity, which differs from the cone spreading(G.J. Morales, R.S. Loritsch, and J.E. Maggs, Phys. Plasmas) 1, 3765 (1994) associated with inertial Alfvén waves. Sponsored by ONR

Extending geometrical optics: A Lagrangian theory for vector waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz, D. E.

2016-10-01

Even diffraction aside, the commonly known equations of geometrical optics (GO) are not entirely accurate. GO considers wave rays as classical particles, which are completely described by their coordinates and momenta, but rays have another degree of freedom, namely, polarization. As a result, wave rays can behave as particles with spin. A well-known example of polarization dynamics is wave-mode conversion, which can be interpreted as rotation of the (classical) ``wave spin.'' However, there are other less-known manifestations of the wave spin, such as polarization precession and polarization-driven bending of ray trajectories. This talk presents recent advances in extending and reformulating GO as a first-principle Lagrangian theory, whose effective-gauge Hamiltonian governs both mentioned polarization phenomena simultaneously. Examples and numerical results are presented. When applied to classical waves, the theory correctly predicts the polarization-driven divergence of left- and right- polarized electromagnetic waves in isotropic media, such as dielectrics and nonmagnetized plasmas. In the case of particles with spin, the formalism also yields a point-particle Lagrangian model for the Dirac electron, i.e. the relativistic spin-1/2 electron, which includes both the Stern-Gerlach spin potential and the Bargmann-Michel-Telegdi spin precession. Additionally, the same theory contributes, perhaps unexpectedly, to the understanding of ponderomotive effects in both wave and particle dynamics; e.g., the formalism allows to obtain the ponderomotive Hamiltonian for a Dirac electron interacting with an arbitrarily large electromagnetic laser field with spin effects included. Supported by the NNSA SSAA Program through DOE Research Grant No. DE-NA0002948, by the U.S. DOE through Contract No. DE-AC02-09CH11466, and by the U.S. DOD NDSEG Fellowship through Contract No. 32-CFR-168a.

Penetration of Solar Wind Driven ULF Waves into the Earth's Inner Magnetosphere: Role in Radiation Belt and Ring Current Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mann, Ian; Murphy, Kyle; Rae, Jonathan; Ozeke, Louis; Milling, David

2013-04-01

Ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves in the Pc4-5 band can be excited in the magnetosphere by the solar wind. Much recent work has shown how ULF wave power is strongly correlated with solar wind speed. However, little attention has been paid the dynamics of ULF wave power penetration onto low L-shells in the inner magnetosphere. We use more than a solar cycle of ULF wave data, derived from ground-based magnetometer networks, to examine this ULF wave power penetration and its dependence on solar wind and geomagnetic activity indices. In time domain data, we show very clearly that dayside ULF wave power, spanning more than 4 orders of magnitude, follows solar wind speed variations throughout the whole solar cycle - during periods of sporadic solar maximum ICMEs, during declining phase fast solar wind streams, and at solar minimum, alike. We also show that time domain ULF wave power increases during magnetic storms activations, and significantly demonstrate that a deeper ULF wave power penetration into the inner magnetosphere occurs during larger negative excursions in Dst. We discuss potential explanations for this low-L ULF wave power penetration, including the role of plasma mass density (such as during plasmaspheric erosion), or ring current ion instabilities during near-Earth ring current penetration. Interestingly, we also show that both ULF wave power and SAMPEX MeV electron flux show a remarkable similarity in their penetration to low-L, which suggests that ULF wave power penetration may be important for understanding and explaining radiation belt dynamics. Moreover, the correlation of ULF wave power with Dst, which peaks at one day lag, suggests the ULF waves might also be important for the inward transport of ions into the ring current. Current ring current models, which exclude long period ULF wave transport, under-estimate the ring current during fast solar wind streams which is consistent with a potential role for ULF waves in ring current energisation. The combination of data from ground arrays such as CARISMA and the contemporaneous operation of the NASA Van Allen Probes (VAP) mission offers an excellent basis for understanding this cross-energy plasma coupling which spans more than 6 orders of magnitude in energy. Explaining the casual connections between plasmas in the plasmasphere (eV), ring current (keV), and radiation belt (MeV), via the intermediaries of plasma waves, is key to understanding inner magnetosphere dynamics. This work has received funding from the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-Space) under grant agreement n 284520 for the MAARBLE (Monitoring, Analyzing and Assessing Radiation Belt Energization and Loss) collaborative research project.

LAPD Studies on Kelvin-Helmholtz turbulence and Transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez, Jean; Horton, Wendel; Carter, Troy; Gekelman, Walter; Bengtson, Roger; Gentle, Kenneth

2004-11-01

New results on the partial transport barrier and turbulence produced by a strong E×B jet of plasma shear flow are reported. By controlled biasing of the cathode-anode structure of the 20 m long, 1 m diameter Large Plasma Device at UCLA, a strongly localized shear flow is driven in the steady state. The fluctuations are shown to be well described by 2D electrostatic potential simulations of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in preprint IFSR-1002. Now, we exam the transport of particles and report the particle flux data for transport across the plasma jet. The mean ion saturation current shows that there is a steep density gradient on the core side of the jet with the foot of the density gradient near the shear layer . We consider the motion of test particles launched from the core side of the layer and calculate the probablity distribution of the first exit times. The density gradient of driven drift waves is also discussed. Experimentally, we propose to use optical tagging and laser induced fluorescence to follow particle trajectories across the shear layer in LAPD. Work supported by DOE grant DE-FG02-04ER54742. Experimental work was performed at the UCLA Basic Plasma Science Facility which is funded by NSF and DOE.

Theory and simulations of radiation friction induced enhancement of laser-driven longitudinal fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gelfer, E. G.; Fedotov, A. M.; Weber, S.

2018-06-01

We consider the generation of a quasistatic longitudinal electric field by intense laser pulses propagating in a transparent plasma with radiation friction (RF) taken into account. For both circular and linear polarization of the driving pulse we develop a 1D analytical model of the process, which is valid in a wide range of laser and plasma parameters. We define the parameter region where RF results in an essential enhancement of the longitudinal field. The amplitude and the period of the generated longitudinal wave are estimated and optimized. Our theoretical predictions are confirmed by 1D and 2D PIC simulations. We also demonstrate numerically that RF should substantially enhance the longitudinal field generated in a plasma by a 10 PW laser such as ELI Beamlines.

Plasmasphere Response: Tutorial and Review of Recent Imaging Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldstein, J.

2006-06-01

The plasmasphere is the cold, dense innermost region of the magnetosphere that is populated by upflow of ionospheric plasma along geomagnetic field lines. Driven directly by dayside magnetopause reconnection, enhanced sunward convection erodes the outer layers of the plasmasphere. Erosion causes the plasmasphere outer boundary, the plasmapause, to move inward on the nightside and outward on the dayside to form plumes of dense plasma extending sunward into the outer magnetosphere. Coupling between the inner magnetosphere and ionosphere can significantly modify the convection field, either enhancing sunward flows near dusk or shielding them on the night side. The plasmaspheric configuration plays a crucial role in the inner magnetosphere; wave-particle interactions inside the plasmasphere can cause scattering and loss of warmer space plasmas such as the ring current and radiation belts.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vaezi, P.; Holland, C.; Thakur, S. C.

The Controlled Shear Decorrelation Experiment (CSDX) linear plasma device provides a unique platform for investigating the underlying physics of self-regulating drift-wave turbulence/zonal flow dynamics. A minimal model of 3D drift-reduced nonlocal cold ion fluid equations which evolves density, vorticity, and electron temperature fluctuations, with proper sheath boundary conditions, is used to simulate dynamics of the turbulence in CSDX and its response to changes in parallel boundary conditions. These simulations are then carried out using the BOUndary Turbulence (BOUT++) framework and use equilibrium electron density and temperature profiles taken from experimental measurements. The results show that density gradient-driven drift-waves are themore » dominant instability in CSDX. However, the choice of insulating or conducting endplate boundary conditions affects the linear growth rates and energy balance of the system due to the absence or addition of Kelvin-Helmholtz modes generated by the sheath-driven equilibrium E × B shear and sheath-driven temperature gradient instability. Moreover, nonlinear simulation results show that the boundary conditions impact the turbulence structure and zonal flow formation, resulting in less broadband (more quasi-coherent) turbulence and weaker zonal flow in conducting boundary condition case. These results are qualitatively consistent with earlier experimental observations.« less

Double Magnetic Reconnection Driven by Kelvin-Helmholtz Vortices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horton, W., Jr.; Faganello, M.; Califano, F.; Pegoraro, F.

2017-12-01

Simulations and theory for the solar wind driven magnetic reconnection in the flanks of the magnetopause is shown to be intrinsically 3D with the secular growth of couple pairs of reconnection regions off the equatorial plane. We call the process double mid-latitude reconnection and show supporting 3D simulations and theory descripting the secular growth of the magnetic reconnection with the resulting mixing of the solar wind plasma with the magnetosphere plasma. The initial phase develops Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices at low-latitude and, through the propagation of Alfven waves far from the region where the stresses are generated, creates a standard quasi-2D low latitude boundary layer magnetic reconnection but off the equatorial plane and with a weak guide field component. The reconnection exponential growth is followed by a secularly growing nonlinear phase that gradually closes the solar wind field lines on the Earth. The nonlinear field line structure provides a channel for penetration of the SW plasma into the MS as observed by spacecraft [THEMIS and Cluster]. The simulations show the amount of solar wind plasma brought into the magnetosphere by tracing the time evolution of the areas corresponding to double reconnected field lines with Poincare maps. The results for the solar wind plasma brought into the magnetosphere seems consistent with the observed plasma transport. Finally, we have shown how the intrinsic 3D nature of the doubly reconnected magnetic field lines leads to the generation of twisted magnetic spatial structures that differ from the quasi-2D magnetic islands structures.

Laser Wakefield Acceleration: Structural and Dynamic Studies. Final Technical Report ER40954

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Downer, Michael C.

2014-04-30

Particle accelerators enable scientists to study the fundamental structure of the universe, but have become the largest and most expensive of scientific instruments. In this project, we advanced the science and technology of laser-plasma accelerators, which are thousands of times smaller and less expensive than their conventional counterparts. In a laser-plasma accelerator, a powerful laser pulse exerts light pressure on an ionized gas, or plasma, thereby driving an electron density wave, which resembles the wake behind a boat. Electrostatic fields within this plasma wake reach tens of billions of volts per meter, fields far stronger than ordinary non-plasma matter (suchmore » as the matter that a conventional accelerator is made of) can withstand. Under the right conditions, stray electrons from the surrounding plasma become trapped within these “wake-fields”, surf them, and acquire energy much faster than is possible in a conventional accelerator. Laser-plasma accelerators thus might herald a new generation of compact, low-cost accelerators for future particle physics, x-ray and medical research. In this project, we made two major advances in the science of laser-plasma accelerators. The first of these was to accelerate electrons beyond 1 gigaelectronvolt (1 GeV) for the first time. In experimental results reported in Nature Communications in 2013, about 1 billion electrons were captured from a tenuous plasma (about 1/100 of atmosphere density) and accelerated to 2 GeV within about one inch, while maintaining less than 5% energy spread, and spreading out less than ½ milliradian (i.e. ½ millimeter per meter of travel). Low energy spread and high beam collimation are important for applications of accelerators as coherent x-ray sources or particle colliders. This advance was made possible by exploiting unique properties of the Texas Petawatt Laser, a powerful laser at the University of Texas at Austin that produces pulses of 150 femtoseconds (1 femtosecond is 10-15 seconds) in duration and 150 Joules in energy (equivalent to the muzzle energy of a small pistol bullet). This duration was well matched to the natural electron density oscillation period of plasma of 1/100 atmospheric density, enabling efficient excitation of a plasma wake, while this energy was sufficient to drive a high-amplitude wake of the right shape to produce an energetic, collimated electron beam. Continuing research is aimed at increasing electron energy even further, increasing the number of electrons captured and accelerated, and developing applications of the compact, multi-GeV accelerator as a coherent, hard x-ray source for materials science, biomedical imaging and homeland security applications. The second major advance under this project was to develop new methods of visualizing the laser-driven plasma wake structures that underlie laser-plasma accelerators. Visualizing these structures is essential to understanding, optimizing and scaling laser-plasma accelerators. Yet prior to work under this project, computer simulations based on estimated initial conditions were the sole source of detailed knowledge of the complex, evolving internal structure of laser-driven plasma wakes. In this project we developed and demonstrated a suite of optical visualization methods based on well-known methods such as holography, streak cameras, and coherence tomography, but adapted to the ultrafast, light-speed, microscopic world of laser-driven plasma wakes. Our methods output images of laser-driven plasma structures in a single laser shot. We first reported snapshots of low-amplitude laser wakes in Nature Physics in 2006. We subsequently reported images of high-amplitude laser-driven plasma “bubbles”, which are important for producing electron beams with low energy spread, in Physical Review Letters in 2010. More recently, we have figured out how to image laser-driven structures that change shape while propagating in a single laser shot. The latter techniques, which use the methods of computerized tomography, were demonstrated on test objects – e.g. laser-driven filaments in air and glass – and reported in Optics Letters in 2013 and Nature Communications in 2014. Their output is a multi-frame movie rather than a snapshot. Continuing research is aimed at applying these tomographic methods directly to evolving laser-driven plasma accelerator structures in our laboratory, then, once perfected, to exporting them to plasma-based accelerator laboratories around the world as standard in-line metrology instruments.« less

B2.5-Eirene modeling of radial transport in the MAGPIE linear plasma device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Owen, L. W.; Caneses, J. F.; Canik, J.; Lore, J. D.; Corr, C.; Blackwell, B.; Bonnin, X.; Rapp, J.

2017-05-01

Radial transport in helicon heated hydrogen plasmas in the MAGnetized Plasma Interaction Experiment (MAGPIE) is studied with the B2.5-Eirene (SOLPS5.0) code. Radial distributions of plasma density, temperature and ambipolar potential are computed for several magnetic field configurations and compared to double Langmuir probe measurements. Evidence for an unmagnetized ion population is seen in the requirement for a convective pinch term in the continuity equation in order to fit the centrally peaked density profile data. The measured slightly hollow electron temperature profiles are reproduced with combinations of on-axis and edge heating which can be interpreted as helicon and Trivelpiece-Gould wave absorption, respectively. Pressure gradient driven radial charged particle diffusion is chosen to describe the diffusive particle flux since the hollowness of the temperature profiles assists the establishment of on-axis density peaking.

Evolution of the fastest-growing relativistic mixed mode instability driven by a tenuous plasma beam in one and two dimensions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dieckmann, M. E.; Frederiksen, J. T.; Bret, A.

2006-11-15

Particle-in-cell simulations confirm here that a mixed plasma mode is the fastest growing when a highly relativistic tenuous electron-proton beam interacts with an unmagnetized plasma. The mixed modes grow faster than the filamentation and two-stream modes in simulations with beam Lorentz factors {gamma} of 4, 16, and 256, and are responsible for thermalizing the electrons. The mixed modes are followed to their saturation for the case of {gamma}=4 and electron phase space holes are shown to form in the bulk plasma, while the electron beam becomes filamentary. The initial saturation is electrostatic in nature in the considered one- and two-dimensionalmore » geometries. Simulations performed with two different particle-in-cell simulation codes evidence that a finite grid instability couples energy into high-frequency electromagnetic waves, imposing simulation constraints.« less

Ion acceleration in electrostatic collisionless shock: on the optimal density profile for quasi-monoenergetic beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boella, E.; Fiúza, F.; Stockem Novo, A.; Fonseca, R.; Silva, L. O.

2018-03-01

A numerical study on ion acceleration in electrostatic shock waves is presented, with the aim of determining the best plasma configuration to achieve quasi-monoenergetic ion beams in laser-driven systems. It was recently shown that tailored near-critical density plasmas characterized by a long-scale decreasing rear density profile lead to beams with low energy spread (Fiúza et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 215001). In this work, a detailed parameter scan investigating different plasma scale lengths is carried out. As result, the optimal plasma spatial scale length that allows for minimizing the energy spread while ensuring a significant reflection of ions by the shock is identified. Furthermore, a new configuration where the required profile has been obtained by coupling micro layers of different densities is proposed. Results show that this new engineered approach is a valid alternative, guaranteeing a low energy spread with a higher level of controllability.

Shock tubes and waves; Proceedings of the Fourteenth International Symposium on Shock Tubes and Shock Waves, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, August 19-22, 1983

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Archer, R. D.; Milton, B. E.

Techniques and facilities are examined, taking into account compressor cascades research using a helium-driven shock tube, the suppression of shocks on transonic airfoils, methods of isentropically achieving superpressures, optimized performance of arc heated shock tubes, pressure losses in free piston driven shock tubes, large shock tubes designed for nuclear survivability testing, and power-series solutions of the gasdynamic equations for Mach reflection of a planar shock by a wedge. Other subjects considered are related to aerodynamics in shock tubes, shocks in dusty gases, chemical kinetics, and lasers, plasmas, and optical methods. Attention is given to vapor explosions and the blast at Mt. St. Helens, combustion reaction mechanisms from ignition delay times, the development and use of free piston wind tunnels, models for nonequilibrium flows in real shock tubes, air blast measuring techniques, finite difference computations of flow about supersonic lifting bodies, and the investigation of ionization relaxation in shock tubes.

Averaged variational principle for autoresonant Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal modes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khain, P.; Friedland, L.

2010-10-15

Whitham's averaged variational principle is applied in studying dynamics of formation of autoresonant (continuously phase-locked) Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal (BGK) modes in a plasma driven by a chirped frequency ponderomotive wave. A flat-top electron velocity distribution is used as a model allowing a variational formulation within the water bag theory. The corresponding Lagrangian, averaged over the fast phase variable yields evolution equations for the slow field variables, allows uniform description of all stages of excitation of driven-chirped BGK modes, and predicts modulational stability of these nonlinear phase-space structures. Numerical solutions of the system of slow variational equations are in good agreement with Vlasov-Poissonmore » simulations.« less

Al 1s-2p absorption spectroscopy of shock-wave heating and compression in laser-driven planar foil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sawada, H.; Regan, S. P.; Radha, P. B.

Time-resolved Al 1s-2p absorption spectroscopy is used to diagnose direct-drive, shock-wave heating and compression of planar targets having nearly Fermi-degenerate plasma conditions (T{sub e}{approx}10-40 eV, {rho}{approx}3-11 g/cm{sup 3}) on the OMEGA Laser System [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]. A planar plastic foil with a buried Al tracer layer was irradiated with peak intensities of 10{sup 14}-10{sup 15} W/cm{sup 2} and probed with the pseudocontinuum M-band emission from a point-source Sm backlighter in the range of 1.4-1.7 keV. The laser ablation process launches 10-70 Mbar shock waves into the CH/Al/CH target. The Al 1s-2p absorption spectramore » were analyzed using the atomic physic code PRISMSPECT to infer T{sub e} and {rho} in the Al layer, assuming uniform plasma conditions during shock-wave heating, and to determine when the heat front penetrated the Al layer. The drive foils were simulated with the one-dimensional hydrodynamics code LILAC using a flux-limited (f=0.06 and f=0.1) and nonlocal thermal-transport model [V. N. Goncharov et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 012702 (2006)]. The predictions of simulated shock-wave heating and the timing of heat-front penetration are compared to the observations. The experimental results for a wide variety of laser-drive conditions and buried depths have shown that the LILAC predictions using f=0.06 and the nonlocal model accurately model the shock-wave heating and timing of the heat-front penetration while the shock is transiting the target. The observed discrepancy between the measured and simulated shock-wave heating at late times of the drive can be explained by the reduced radiative heating due to lateral heat flow in the corona.« less

Al 1s-2p Absorption Spectroscopy of Shock-Wave Heating and Compression in Laser-Driven Planar Foil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sawada, H.; Regan, S.P.; Radha, P.B.

Time-resolved Al 1s-2p absorption spectroscopy is used to diagnose direct-drive, shock-wave heating and compression of planar targets having nearly Fermi-degenerate plasma conditions (Te ~ 10–40 eV, rho ~ 3–11 g/cm^3) on the OMEGA Laser System [T. R. Boehly et al., Opt. Commun. 133, 495 (1997)]. A planar plastic foil with a buried Al tracer layer was irradiated with peak intensities of 10^14–10^15 W/cm^2 and probed with the pseudocontinuum M-band emission from a point-source Sm backlighter in the range of 1.4–1.7 keV. The laser ablation process launches 10–70 Mbar shock waves into the CH/Al/CH target. The Al 1s-2p absorption spectra weremore » analyzed using the atomic physic code PRISMSPECT to infer Te and rho in the Al layer, assuming uniform plasma conditions during shock-wave heating, and to determine when the heat front penetrated the Al layer. The drive foils were simulated with the one-dimensional hydrodynamics code LILAC using a flux-limited (f =0.06 and f =0.1) and nonlocal thermal-transport model [V. N. Goncharov et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 012702 (2006)]. The predictions of simulated shock-wave heating and the timing of heat-front penetration are compared to the observations. The experimental results for a wide variety of laser-drive conditions and buried depths have shown that the LILAC predictions using f = 0.06 and the nonlocal model accurately model the shock-wave heating and timing of the heat-front penetration while the shock is transiting the target. The observed discrepancy between the measured and simulated shock-wave heating at late times of the drive can be explained by the reduced radiative heating due to lateral heat flow in the corona.« less

Comparative study of the loss cone-driven instabilities in the low solar corona

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sharma, R. R.; Vlahos, L.

1984-01-01

A comparative study of the loss cone-driven instabilities in the low solar corona is undertaken. The instabilities considered are the electron cyclotron maser, the whistler, and the electrostatic upper hybrid. It is shown that the first-harmonic extraordinary mode of the electron cyclotron maser instability is the fastest growing mode for strong magnetized plasma (the ratio of plasma frequency to cyclotron frequency being less than 0.35). For values of the ratio between 0.35 and 1.0, the first-harmonic ordinary mode of the electron cyclotron maser instability dominates the emission. For ratio values greater than 1.0, no direct electromagnetic radiation is expected since other instabilities, which do not escape directly, saturate the electron cyclotron maser (the whistler or the electrostatic upper hybrid waves). It is also shown that the second-harmonic electron cyclotron maser emission never grows to an appreciable level. Thus, it is suggested that the electron cyclotron maser instability can be the explanation for the escape of the first harmonic from a flaring loop.

Shear-flow driven dissipative instability and investigation of nonlinear drift-vortex modes in dusty plasmas with non-thermal ion population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gul-e-Ali, Masood, W.; Mirza, Arshad M.

2017-12-01

The shear flow in dust dynamics driven waves in combination with the dust-neutral drag is studied in a plasma comprising of ions, electrons, and dust. Non-thermal population of ions is considered, which has been observed by many satellite missions. It is found that the dissipative instability produced by dust sheared flow and dust-neutral drag gets modified by the presence of nonthermal ions. It is found that the dissipative instability enhances for the Cairns distribution, whereas the kappa distribution arrests the growth of this instability. In the nonlinear regime, the formation of vortices in the system is studied. It is found that the nonthermal population of ions significantly alters these structures in comparison with their Maxwellian counterpart. The results obtained in this paper may have relevance in the planetary magnetospheres where the dust particles are present and non-Maxwellian distribution of particles have been observed by Freja and Viking satellites.

Ion dynamics of a laser produced aluminium plasma at different ambient pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sankar, Pranitha; Shashikala, H. D.; Philip, Reji

2018-01-01

Plasma is generated by pulsed laser ablation of an Aluminium target using 1064 nm, 7 ns Nd:YAG laser pulses. The spatial and temporal evolution of the whole plasma plume, as well as that of the ionic (Al2+) component present in the plume, are investigated using spectrally resolved time-gated imaging. The influence of ambient gas pressure on the expansion dynamics of Al2+ is studied in particular. In vacuum (10-5 Torr, 10-2 Torr) the whole plume expands adiabatically and diffuses into the ambient. For higher pressures in the range of 1-10 Torr plume expansion is in accordance with the shock wave model, while at 760 Torr the expansion follows the drag model. On the other hand, the expansion dynamics of the Al2+ component, measured by introducing a band pass optical filter in the detection system, fits to the shock wave model for the entire pressure range of 10-2 Torr to 760 Torr. The expansion velocities of the whole plume and the Al2+ component have been measured in vacuum. These dynamics studies are of potential importance for applications such as laser-driven plasma accelerators, ion acceleration, pulsed laser deposition, micromachining, laser-assisted mass spectrometry, ion implantation, and light source generation.

Fundamentals of Plasma Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellan, Paul M.

2008-07-01

Preface; 1. Basic concepts; 2. The Vlasov, two-fluid, and MHD models of plasma dynamics; 3. Motion of a single plasma particle; 4. Elementary plasma waves; 5. Streaming instabilities and the Landau problem; 6. Cold plasma waves in a magnetized plasma; 7. Waves in inhomogeneous plasmas and wave energy relations; 8. Vlasov theory of warm electrostatic waves in a magnetized plasma; 9. MHD equilibria; 10. Stability of static MHD equilibria; 11. Magnetic helicity interpreted and Woltjer-Taylor relaxation; 12. Magnetic reconnection; 13. Fokker-Planck theory of collisions; 14. Wave-particle nonlinearities; 15. Wave-wave nonlinearities; 16. Non-neutral plasmas; 17. Dusty plasmas; Appendix A. Intuitive method for vector calculus identities; Appendix B. Vector calculus in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates; Appendix C. Frequently used physical constants and formulae; Bibliography; References; Index.

Kinetic Simulations of Type II Radio Burst Emission Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganse, U.; Spanier, F. A.; Vainio, R. O.

2011-12-01

The fundamental emission process of Type II Radio Bursts has been under discussion for many decades. While analytic deliberations point to three wave interaction as the source for fundamental and harmonic radio emissions, sparse in-situ observational data and high computational demands for kinetic simulations have not allowed for a definite conclusion to be reached. A popular model puts the radio emission into the foreshock region of a coronal mass ejection's shock front, where shock drift acceleration can create eletrcon beam populations in the otherwise quiescent foreshock plasma. Beam-driven instabilities are then assumed to create waves, forming the starting point of three wave interaction processes. Using our kinetic particle-in-cell code, we have studied a number of emission scenarios based on electron beam populations in a CME foreshock, with focus on wave-interaction microphysics on kinetic scales. The self-consistent, fully kinetic simulations with completely physical mass-ratio show fundamental and harmonic emission of transverse electromagnetic waves and allow for detailled statistical analysis of all contributing wavemodes and their couplings.

Coronal Jets Simulated with the Global Alfvén Wave Solar Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szente, J.; Toth, G.; Manchester, W. B., IV; van der Holst, B.; Landi, E.; Gombosi, T. I.; DeVore, C. R.; Antiochos, S. K.

2017-01-01

This paper describes a numerical modeling study of coronal jets to understand their effects on the global corona and their contribution to the solar wind. We implement jets into a well-established three-dimensional, two-temperature magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solar corona model employing Alfvén-wave dissipation to produce a realistic solar-wind background. The jets are produced by positioning a compact magnetic dipole under the solar surface and rotating the boundary plasma around the dipole's magnetic axis. The moving plasma drags the magnetic field lines along with it, ultimately leading to a reconnection-driven jet similar to that described by Pariat et al. We compare line-of-sight synthetic images to multiple jet observations at EUV and X-ray bands, and find very close matches in terms of physical structure, dynamics, and emission. Key contributors to this agreement are the greatly enhanced plasma density and temperature in our jets compared to previous models. These enhancements arise from the comprehensive thermodynamic model that we use and, also, our inclusion of a dense chromosphere at the base of our jet-generating regions. We further find that the large-scale corona is affected significantly by the outwardly propagating torsional Alfvén waves generated by our polar jet, across 40° in latitude and out to 24 R⊙. We estimate that polar jets contribute only a few percent to the steady-state solar-wind energy outflow.

An Optical Trap for Relativistic Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ping

2002-11-01

Optical traps have achieved remarkable success recently in confining ultra-cold matter.Traps capable of confining ultra-hot matter, or plasma, have also been built for applications such as basic plasma research and thermonuclear fusion. For instance, low-density plasmas with temperature less than 1 keV have been confined with static magnetic fields in Malmberg-Penning traps. Low-density 10-50 keV plasmas are confined in magnetic mirrors and tokamaks. High density plasmas have been trapped in optical traps with kinetic energies up to 10 keV [J. L. Chaloupka and D. D. Meyerhofer, Phys. Rev. Lett. 83, 4538 (1999)]. We present the results of experiment, theory and numerical simulation on an optical trap capable of confining relativistic plasma. A stationary interference grating with submicron spacing is created when two high-power (terawatt) laser pulses of equal wavelength (1-micron) are focused from orthogonal directions to the same point in space and time in high density underdense plasma. Light pressure gradients bunch electrons into sheets located at the minima of the interference pattern. The density of the bunched electrons is found to be up to ten times the background density, which is orders-of-magnitude above that previously reported for other optical traps or plasma waves. The amplitudes and frequencies of multiple satellites in the scattered spectrum also indicate the presence of a highly nonlinear ion wave and an electron temperature about 100 keV. Energy transfer from the stronger beam to the weaker beam is also observed. Potential applications include a test-bed for detailed studies of relativistic nonlinear scattering, a positron source and an electrostatic wiggler. This research is also relevant to fast igniter fusion or ion acceleration experiments, in which laser pulses with intensities comparable to those used in the experiment may also potentially beat [Y. Sentoku, et al., Appl. Phys. B 74, 207215 (2002)]. The details of a specific application, the injection of electrons into laser-driven plasma waves, will also be presented. With crossed beams, the energy of a laser-accelerated electron beam is increased and its emittance is decreased compared with a single beam, potentially paving the way towards an all-optical monoenergetic electron injector.

Waves and Turbulence in the Solar Corona: A Surplus of Sources and Sinks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cranmer, Steven R.

2018-06-01

The Sun's corona is a hot, dynamic, and highly stochastic plasma environment, and we still do not yet understand how it is heated. Both the loop-filled coronal base and the extended acceleration region of the solar wind appear to be filled with waves and turbulent eddies. Models that invoke the dissipation of these magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluctuations have had some success in explaining the heating. In this presentation I will review some new insights about the different ways these waves are thought to be created and destroyed. For example: (1) Intergranular bright points in the photosphere are believed to extend upwards as coronal flux tubes, and their transverse oscillations are driven by the underlying convection. New high-resolution MHD simulations predict the kinetic energy spectra of the resulting coronal waves and serve as predictions for upcoming DKIST observations. (2) Magnetic reconnection in the supergranular network of the low corona can also generate MHD waves, and new Monte Carlo models of the resulting power spectra will be presented. The total integrated power in these waves is typically small in comparison to that of photosphere-driven waves, but they dominate the total spectrum at periods longer than about 30 minutes. (3) Because each magnetic field line in the corona is tied to at least one specific chromospheric footpoint (each with its own base pressure), the corona also plays host to field-aligned "density striations." These fluctuations vary with the supergranular network on timescales of roughly a day, but they also act as a spatially varying background through which the higher-frequency waves propagate. These multiple sources of space/time variability must be taken into account to properly understand off-limb measurements from CoMP and EIS/Hinode, as well as in-situ measurements from Parker Solar Probe.

Density-Gradient-Driven trapped-electron-modes in improved-confinement RFP plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duff, James; Sarff, John; Ding, Weixing; Brower, David; Parke, Eli; Chapman, Brett; Terry, Paul; Pueschel, M. J.; Williams, Zach

2017-10-01

Short wavelength density fluctuations in improved-confinement MST plasmas exhibit multiple features characteristic of the trapped-electron-mode (TEM). Core transport in the RFP is normally governed by magnetic stochasticity stemming from long wavelength tearing modes that arise from current profile peaking, which are suppressed via inductive control for this work. The improved confinement is associated with an increase in the pressure gradient that can destabilize drift waves. The measured density fluctuations have f 50 kHz, kϕρs < 0.14 , and propagate in the electron drift direction. Their spectral emergence coincides with a sharp decrease in global tearing mode associated fluctuations, their amplitude increases with local density gradient, and they exhibit a density-gradient threshold at R /Ln 15 . The GENE code, modified for the RFP, predicts the onset of density-gradient-driven TEM for these strong-gradient plasma conditions. While nonlinear analysis shows a large Dimits shift associated with predicted strong zonal flows, the inclusion of residual magnetic fluctuations, comparable to experimental magnetic fluctuations, causes a collapse of the zonal flows and an increase in the predicted transport to a level close to the experimentally measured heat flux. Work supported by US DOE.

Millisecond newly born pulsars as efficient accelerators of electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osmanov, Zaza; Mahajan, Swadesh; Machabeli, George; Chkheidze, Nino

2015-09-01

The newly born millisecond pulsars are investigated as possible energy sources for creating ultra-high energy electrons. The transfer of energy from the star rotation to high energy electrons takes place through the Landau damping of centrifugally driven (via a two stream instability) electrostatic Langmuir waves. Generated in the bulk magnetosphere plasma, such waves grow to high amplitudes, and then damp, very effectively, on relativistic electrons driving them to even higher energies. We show that the rate of transfer of energy is so efficient that no energy losses might affect the mechanism of particle acceleration; the electrons might achieve energies of the order of 1018 eV for parameters characteristic of a young star.

Infrasonic acoustic waves generated by fast air heating in sprite cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silva, Caitano L.; Pasko, Victor P.

2014-03-01

Acceleration, expansion, and branching of sprite streamers can lead to concentration of high electrical currents in regions of space, that are observed in the form of bright sprite cores. Driven by this electrical current, a series of chemical processes take place in the sprite plasma. Excitation, followed by quenching of excited electronic states leads to energy transfer from charged to neutral species. The consequence is heating and expansion of air leading to emission of infrasonic acoustic waves. Results indicate that ≳0.01 Pa pressure perturbations on the ground, observed in association with sprites, can only be produced by exceptionally strong currents in sprite cores, exceeding 2 kA.

Tracing the Pathway from Drift-Wave Turbulence with Broken Symmetry to the Production of Sheared Axial Mean Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, R.; Li, J. C.; Chakraborty Thakur, S.; Hajjar, R.; Diamond, P. H.; Tynan, G. R.

2018-05-01

This study traces the emergence of sheared axial flow from collisional drift-wave turbulence with broken symmetry in a linear plasma device—the controlled shear decorrelation experiment. As the density profile steepens, the axial Reynolds stress develops and drives a radially sheared axial flow that is parallel to the magnetic field. Results show that the nondiffusive piece of the Reynolds stress is driven by the density gradient, results from spectral asymmetry of the turbulence, and, thus, is dynamical in origin. Taken together, these findings constitute the first simultaneous demonstration of the causal link between the density gradient, turbulence, and stress with broken spectral symmetry and the mean axial flow.

The Near-Earth Plasma Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, Robert F., Jr.

2012-01-01

An overview of the plasma environment near the earth is provided. We describe how the near-earth plasma is formed, including photo-ionization from solar photons and impact ionization at high latitudes from energetic particles. We review the fundamental characteristics of the earth's plasma environment, with emphasis on the ionosphere and its interactions with the extended neutral atmosphere. Important processes that control ionospheric physics at low, middle, and high latitudes are discussed. The general dynamics and morphology of the ionized gas at mid- and low-latitudes are described including electrodynamic contributions from wind-driven dynamos, tides, and planetary-scale waves. The unique properties of the near-earth plasma and its associated currents at high latitudes are shown to depend on precipitating auroral charged particles and strong electric fields which map earthward from the magnetosphere. The upper atmosphere is shown to have profound effects on the transfer of energy and momentum between the high-latitude plasma and the neutral constituents. The article concludes with a discussion of how the near-earth plasma responds to magnetic storms associated with solar disturbances.

Synthesis of N-graphene using microwave plasma-based methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, Ana; Tatarova, Elena; Henriques, Julio; Dias, Francisco; Felizardo, Edgar; Abrashev, Miroslav; Bundaleski, Nenad; Cvelbar, Uros

2016-09-01

In this work a microwave atmospheric plasma driven by surface waves is used to produce free-standing graphene sheets (FSG). Carbonaceous precursors are injected into a microwave plasma environment, where decomposition processes take place. The transport of plasma generated gas-phase carbon atoms and molecules into colder zones of plasma reactor results in carbon nuclei formation. The main part of the solid carbon is gradually carried from the ``hot'' plasma zone into the outlet plasma stream where carbon nanostructures assemble and grow. Subsequently, the graphene sheets have been N-doped using a N2-Ar large-scale remote plasma treatment, which consists on placing the FSG on a substrate in a remote zone of the N2-Ar plasma. The samples were treated with different compositions of N2-Ar gas mixtures, while maintaining 1 mbar pressure in the chamber and a power applied of 600 W. The N-doped graphene sheets were characterized by scanning and by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Plasma characterization was also performed by optical emission spectroscopy. Work partially funded by Portuguese FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, under grant SFRH/BD/52413/2013 (PD-F APPLAuSE).

Resonance localization in tokamaks excited with ICRF waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kerbel, G. D.; McCoy, M. G.

1985-06-01

Advanced wave model used to evaluate ICRH in tokamaks typically used warm plasma theory and allow inhomogeneity in one dimension. The majority of these calculations neglect the fact that gyrocenters experience the inhomogeneity via their motion parallel to the magnetic field. In strongly driven systems, wave damping can distort the particle distribution function supporting the wave and this produces changes in the absorption. A bounce-averaged Fokker-Planck quasilinear computational model which evolves the population of particles on more realistic orbits is presented. Each wave-particle resonance has its own specific interaction amplitude within any given volume element; these data need only be generated once, and appropriately stored for efficient retrieval. The wave-particle resonant interaction then serves as a mechanism by which the diffusion of particle populations can proceed among neighboring orbits. The local specific spectral energy absorption rate is directly calculable once the orbit geometry and populations are determined. The code is constructed in such fashion as to accommodate wave propagation models which provide the wave spectral energy density on a poloidal cross-section. Information provided by the calculation includes the local absorption properties of the medium which can then be exploited to evolve the wave field.

Effect of collisions on amplification of laser beams by Brillouin scattering in plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Humphrey, K. A.; Speirs, D. C.; Trines, R. M. G. M.

2013-10-15

We report on particle in cell simulations of energy transfer between a laser pump beam and a counter-propagating seed beam using the Brillouin scattering process in uniform plasma including collisions. The results presented show that the ion acoustic waves excited through naturally occurring Brillouin scattering of the pump field are preferentially damped without affecting the driven Brillouin scattering process resulting from the beating of the pump and seed fields together. We find that collisions, including the effects of Landau damping, allow for a more efficient transfer of energy between the laser beams, and a significant reduction in the amount ofmore » seed pre-pulse produced.« less

Hydrodynamic instabilities at an oblique interface: Experiments and Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Douglas-Mann, E.; Fiedler Kawaguchi, C.; Trantham, M. A.; Malamud, G.; Wan, W. C.; Klein, S. R.; Kuranz, C. C.

2017-10-01

Hydrodynamic instabilities are important phenomena that occur in high-energy-density systems, such as astrophysical systems and inertial confinement fusion experiments, where pressure, density, and velocity gradients are present. Using a 30 ns laser pulse from the Omega EP laser system, a steady shock wave is driven into a target. A Spherical Crystal Imager provides high-resolution x-ray radiographs to study the evolution of complex hydrodynamic structures. This experiment has a light-to-heavy interface at an oblique angle with a precision-machined perturbation. The incident shock wave deposits shear and vorticity at the interface causing the perturbation to grow via Richtmyer-Meshkov and Kelvin-Helmholtz processes. We present results from analysis of radiographic data and hydrodynamics simulations showing the evolution of the shock and unstable structure. This work is supported by the NNSA-DS and SC-OFES Joint Program in High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasmas, Grant Number DE-NA0002956 and the National Science Foundation through the Basic Plasma Science and Engineering program and LILAC.

WAKES: Wavelet Adaptive Kinetic Evolution Solvers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mardirian, Marine; Afeyan, Bedros; Larson, David

2016-10-01

We are developing a general capability to adaptively solve phase space evolution equations mixing particle and continuum techniques in an adaptive manner. The multi-scale approach is achieved using wavelet decompositions which allow phase space density estimation to occur with scale dependent increased accuracy and variable time stepping. Possible improvements on the SFK method of Larson are discussed, including the use of multiresolution analysis based Richardson-Lucy Iteration, adaptive step size control in explicit vs implicit approaches. Examples will be shown with KEEN waves and KEEPN (Kinetic Electrostatic Electron Positron Nonlinear) waves, which are the pair plasma generalization of the former, and have a much richer span of dynamical behavior. WAKES techniques are well suited for the study of driven and released nonlinear, non-stationary, self-organized structures in phase space which have no fluid, limit nor a linear limit, and yet remain undamped and coherent well past the drive period. The work reported here is based on the Vlasov-Poisson model of plasma dynamics. Work supported by a Grant from the AFOSR.

Plasma oscillations in a 6-kW magnetically shielded Hall thruster

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jorns, Benjamin A., E-mail: benjamin.a.jorns@jpl.nasa.gov; Hofer, Richard R.

2014-05-15

Plasma oscillations from 0–100 kHz in a 6-kW magnetically shielded Hall thruster are experimentally characterized with a high-speed, optical camera. Two modes are identified at 7–12 kHz and 70–90 kHz. The low frequency mode is found to be azimuthally uniform across the thruster face, while the high frequency oscillation is peaked close to the centerline-mounted cathode with an m = 1 azimuthal dependence. An analysis of these results in the context of wave-based theory suggests that the low frequency wave is the breathing mode oscillation, while the higher frequency mode is gradient-driven. The effect of these oscillations on thruster operation is examined through an analysismore » of thruster discharge current and a comparison with published observations from an unshielded variant of the thruster. Most notably, it is found that although the oscillation spectra of the two thrusters are different, they exhibit nearly identical steady-state behavior.« less

Realistic Modeling of Multi-Scale MHD Dynamics of the Solar Atmosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kitiashvili, Irina; Mansour, Nagi N.; Wray, Alan; Couvidat, Sebastian; Yoon, Seokkwan; Kosovichev, Alexander

2014-01-01

Realistic 3D radiative MHD simulations open new perspectives for understanding the turbulent dynamics of the solar surface, its coupling to the atmosphere, and the physical mechanisms of generation and transport of non-thermal energy. Traditionally, plasma eruptions and wave phenomena in the solar atmosphere are modeled by prescribing artificial driving mechanisms using magnetic or gas pressure forces that might arise from magnetic field emergence or reconnection instabilities. In contrast, our 'ab initio' simulations provide a realistic description of solar dynamics naturally driven by solar energy flow. By simulating the upper convection zone and the solar atmosphere, we can investigate in detail the physical processes of turbulent magnetoconvection, generation and amplification of magnetic fields, excitation of MHD waves, and plasma eruptions. We present recent simulation results of the multi-scale dynamics of quiet-Sun regions, and energetic effects in the atmosphere and compare with observations. For the comparisons we calculate synthetic spectro-polarimetric data to model observational data of SDO, Hinode, and New Solar Telescope.

Flux-driven algebraic damping of m = 1 diocotron mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chim, Chi Yung; O'Neil, Thomas

2015-11-01

Recent experiments with pure electron plasmas in a Malmberg-Penning trap have observed the algebraic damping of m = 1 diocotron modes. Transport due to small field asymmetries produce a low density halo of electrons moving radially outward from the plasma core, and the mode damping begins when the halo reaches the resonant radius rres, where f = mfE × B (rres) . The damping rate is proportional to the flux of halo particles through the resonant layer. The damping is related to, but distinct from spatial Landau damping, in which a linear wave-particle resonance produces exponential damping. This poster explains with analytic theory and simulations the new algebraic damping due to both mobility and diffusive fluxes. As electrons are swept around the ``cat's eye'' orbits of resonant wave-particle interaction, they form a dipole (m = 1) density distribution, and the electric field from this distribution produces an E × B drift of the core back to the axis, i.e. damps the m = 1 mode. Supported by National Science Foundation Grant PHY-1414570.

Flux-driven algebraic damping of diocotron modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chim, Chi Yung; O'Neil, Thomas M.

2015-06-01

Recent experiments with pure electron plasmas in a Malmberg-Penning trap have observed the algebraic damping of m = 1 and m = 2 diocotron modes. Transport due to small field asymmetries produces a low density halo of electrons moving radially outward from the plasma core, and the mode damping begins when the halo reaches the resonant radius Rm, where there is a matching of ωm = mωE (Rm) for the mode frequency ωm and E × B-drift rotation frequency ωE. The damping rate is proportional to the flux of halo particles through the resonant layer. The damping is related to, but distinct from, spatial Landau damping, in which a linear wave-particle resonance produces exponential damping. This new mechanism of damping is due to transfer of canonical angular momentum from the mode to halo particles, as they are swept around the "cat's eye" orbits of the resonant wave-particle interaction. This paper provides a simple derivation of the time dependence of the mode amplitudes.

Ionization waves of arbitrary velocity driven by a flying focus

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Palastro, J. P.; Turnbull, D.; Bahk, S. -W.

A chirped laser pulse focused by a chromatic lens exhibits a dynamic, or flying, focus in which the trajectory of the peak intensity decouples from the group velocity. In a medium, the flying focus can trigger an ionization front that follows this trajectory. By adjusting the chirp, the ionization front can be made to travel at an arbitrary velocity along the optical axis. For this study, we present analytical calculations and simulations describing the propagation of the flying focus pulse, the self-similar form of its intensity profile, and ionization wave formation. The ability to control the speed of the ionizationmore » wave and, in conjunction, mitigate plasma refraction has the potential to advance several laser-based applications, including Raman amplification, photon acceleration, high-order-harmonic generation, and THz generation.« less

Ionization waves of arbitrary velocity driven by a flying focus

DOE PAGES

Palastro, J. P.; Turnbull, D.; Bahk, S. -W.; ...

2018-03-01

A chirped laser pulse focused by a chromatic lens exhibits a dynamic, or flying, focus in which the trajectory of the peak intensity decouples from the group velocity. In a medium, the flying focus can trigger an ionization front that follows this trajectory. By adjusting the chirp, the ionization front can be made to travel at an arbitrary velocity along the optical axis. For this study, we present analytical calculations and simulations describing the propagation of the flying focus pulse, the self-similar form of its intensity profile, and ionization wave formation. The ability to control the speed of the ionizationmore » wave and, in conjunction, mitigate plasma refraction has the potential to advance several laser-based applications, including Raman amplification, photon acceleration, high-order-harmonic generation, and THz generation.« less

EMIC waves covering wide L shells: MMS and Van Allen Probes observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Xiongdong; Yuan, Zhigang; Huang, Shiyong; Wang, Dedong; Li, Haimeng; Qiao, Zheng; Yao, Fei

2017-07-01

During 04:45:00-08:15:00 UT on 13 September in 2015, a case of Electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves covering wide L shells (L = 3.6-9.4), observed by the Magnotospheric Multiscale 1 (MMS1) are reported. During the same time interval, EMIC waves observed by Van Allen Probes A (VAP-A) only occurred just outside the plasmapause. As the Van Allen Probes moved outside into a more tenuous plasma region, no intense waves were observed. Combined observations of MMS1 and VAP-A suggest that in the terrestrial magnetosphere, an appropriately dense background plasma would make contributions to the growth of EMIC waves in lower L shells, while the ion anisotropy, driven by magnetospheric compression, might play an important role in the excitation of EMIC waves in higher L shells. These EMIC waves are observed over wide L shells after three continuous magnetic storms, which suggests that these waves might obtain their free energy from those energetic ions injected during storm times. These EMIC waves should be included in radiation belt modeling, especially during continuous magnetic storms. Moreover, two-band structures separated in frequencies by local He2+ gyrofrequencies were observed in large L shells (L > 6), implying sufficiently rich solar wind origin He2+ likely in the outer ring current. It is suggested that multiband-structured EMIC waves can be used to trace the coupling between solar wind and the magnetosphere.tract type="synopsis">le type="main">Plain Language SummaryThe spatial distribution of EMIC waves is an opening question. With combined observations of MMS and Van Allen Probes, this paper has reported EMIC waves covering wide L shells. Moreover, two-band structures separated in frequencies by local He2+ gyrofrequencies were observed in large L shells (L > 6), implying sufficiently rich solar wind origin He2+ likely in the outer ring current. The result is helpful to revealing the spatial distribution and role of He2+ in excitation of EMIC waves.

Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling due to Atmospheric Tides (Julius Bartels Medal Lecture)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forbes, Jeffrey M.

2016-04-01

Within the last decade, a new realization has arrived on the scene of ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) science: terrestrial weather significantly influences space weather. The aspect of space weather referred to here consists of electron density variability that translates to uncertainties in navigation and communications systems, and neutral density variability that translates to uncertainties in orbital and reentry predictions. In the present context "terrestrial weather" primarily refers to the meteorological conditions that determine the spatial-temporal distribution of tropospheric water vapor and latent heating associated with tropical convection, and the middle atmosphere disturbances associated with sudden stratosphere warmings. The net effect of these processes is a spatially- and temporally-evolving spectrum of waves (gravity waves, tides, planetary waves, Kelvin waves) that grows in amplitude with height and enters the IT system near ~100 km. Some members of the wave spectrum penetrate all the way to the base of the exosphere (ca. 500 km). Along the way, nonlinear interactions between different wave components occur, modifying the interacting waves and giving rise to secondary waves. Finally, the IT wind perturbations carried by the waves can redistribute ionospheric plasma, either through the electric fields generated via the dynamo mechanism between 100 and 150 km, or directly by moving plasma along magnetic field lines at higher levels. Additionally, the signatures of wave-driven dynamo currents are reflected in magnetic perturbations observed at the ground. This is how terrestrial atmospheric variability, through the spectrum of vertically- propagating waves that it produces, can effectively drive IT space weather. The primary objective of this Julius Bartels Lecture is to provide an overview of the global observational evidence for the IT consequences of these upward-propagating waves. In honor of Julius Bartels, who performed much research (including his habilitation thesis) on atmospheric and geomagnetic tides, this talk will emphasize the tidal part of the wave spectrum and its effects on the upper atmosphere.

Trigger, an active release experiment that stimulated auroral particle precipitation and wave emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holmgren, G.; Bostroem, R.; Kelley, M. C.; Kintner, P. M.; Lundin, R.; Fahleson, U. V.; Bering, E. A.; Sheldon, W. R.

1979-01-01

The experiment design, including a description of the diagnostic and chemical release payload, and the general results are given for an auroral process simulation experiment. A drastic increase of the field aligned charged particle flux was observed over the approximate energy range 10 eV to more than 300 keV, starting about 150 ms after the release and lasting about one second. The is evidence of a second particle burst, starting one second after the release and lasting for tens of seconds, and evidence for a periodic train of particle bursts occurring with a 7.7 second period from 40 to 130 seconds after the release. A transient electric field pulse of 200 mv/m appeared just before the particle flux increase started. Electrostatic wave emissions around 2 kHz, as well as a delayed perturbation of the E-region below the plasma cloud were also observed. Some of the particle observations are interpreted in terms of field aligned electrostatic acceleration a few hundred kilometers above the injected plasma cloud. It is suggested that the acceleration electric field was created by an instability driven by field aligned currents originating in the plasma cloud.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jian, L. K.; Wei, H. Y.; Russell, C. T.

Transverse, near-circularly polarized, parallel-propagating electromagnetic waves around the proton cyclotron frequency were found sporadically in the solar wind throughout the inner heliosphere. They could play an important role in heating and accelerating the solar wind. These low-frequency waves (LFWs) are intermittent but often occur in prolonged bursts lasting over 10 minutes, named 'LFW storms'. Through a comprehensive survey of them from Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory A using dynamic spectral wave analysis, we have identified 241 LFW storms in 2008, present 0.9% of the time. They are left-hand (LH) or right-hand (RH) polarized in the spacecraft frame with similar characteristics, probablymore » due to Doppler shift of the same type of waves or waves of intrinsically different polarities. In rare cases, the opposite polarities are observed closely in time or even simultaneously. Having ruled out interplanetary coronal mass ejections, shocks, energetic particles, comets, planets, and interstellar ions as LFW sources, we discuss the remaining generation scenarios: LH ion cyclotron instability driven by greater perpendicular temperature than parallel temperature or by ring-beam distribution, and RH ion fire hose instability driven by inverse temperature anisotropy or by cool ion beams. The investigation of solar wind conditions is compromised by the bias of the one-dimensional Maxwellian fit used for plasma data calibration. However, the LFW storms are preferentially detected in rarefaction regions following fast winds and when the magnetic field is radial. This preference may be related to the ion cyclotron anisotropy instability in fast wind and the minimum in damping along the radial field.« less

Wave Coupling between the Lower and Middle Thermosphere as Viewed from Quasi-Sun-Synchronous Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasperini, Federico

In a society increasingly dependent on space technology, space weather has become a prominent scientific paradigm. In the last decade evidence has shown that terrestrial weather significantly influences space weather. Periodic absorption of solar radiation in local time and longitude by tropospheric water vapor and stratospheric ozone as well as latent heat release in clouds generate a spatially- and temporally-evolving spectrum of global-scale atmospheric waves (i.e., tides, planetary waves and Kelvin waves). A subset of these waves propagates vertically, evolving with height due to wave-mean flow, wave-wave, and wave-plasma interactions, and driving electric fields of tidal origin in the dynamo region. While considerable improvements have been made on the understanding of MLT dynamics, driven in part by the development and deployment of new instruments and techniques, relatively little is known about the coupling of waves in the 120-300 km `thermospheric gap' between satellite remote-sensing and in-situ wave diagnostics. The dissertation herein reveals vertical wave coupling in this height region and quantifies its role in determining thermospheric variability. This objective is accomplished employing quasi-Sun-synchronous satellite measurements (i.e., TIMED, CHAMP, and GOCE) and state-of-the-art numerical modeling simulations (i.e., TIME-GCM/MERRA). Evidence is found for the vertical propagation from the lower to the middle thermosphere of the eastward propagating diurnal tide with zonal wave number 3 (DE3) and the 3-day ultra-fast Kelvin wave (UFKW), two major global-scale atmospheric oscillations of tropospheric origin. These waves are shown to nonlinearly interact and produce secondary waves responsible for significant longitudinal and day-to-day variability. For solar and geomagnetic quiet conditions, atmospheric waves are found to be responsible for up to 60% of the total variability, demonstrating lower atmosphere coupling as a key contributor to thermosphere weather, at least in the absence of major solar-driven variability. Additionally, background atmospheric conditions (i.e., dissipation and zonal mean winds) and found to significantly impact the latitudinal-temporal evolution of upward propagating waves.

Dynamic properties of ionospheric plasma turbulence driven by high-power high-frequency radiowaves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grach, S. M.; Sergeev, E. N.; Mishin, E. V.; Shindin, A. V.

2016-11-01

A review is given of the current state-of-the-art of experimental studies and the theoretical understanding of nonlinear phenomena that occur in the ionospheric F-layer irradiated by high-power high-frequency ground-based transmitters. The main focus is on the dynamic features of high-frequency turbulence (plasma waves) and low-frequency turbulence (density irregularities of various scales) that have been studied in experiments at the Sura and HAARP heating facilities operated in temporal and frequency regimes specially designed with consideration of the characteristic properties of nonlinear processes in the perturbed ionosphere using modern radio receivers and optical instruments. Experimental results are compared with theoretical turbulence models for a magnetized collisional plasma in a high-frequency electromagnetic field, allowing the identification of the processes responsible for the observed features of artificial ionospheric turbulence.

Subsonic and Supersonic shear flows in laser driven high-energy-density plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, E. C.; Drake, R. P.; Gillespie, R. S.; Grosskopf, M. J.; Kuranz, C. C.; Visco, A.; Ditmar, J. R.; Aglitskiy, Y.; Weaver, J. L.; Velikovich, A. L.; Hurricane, O. A.; Hansen, J. F.; Remington, B. A.; Robey, H. F.; Bono, M. J.; Plewa, T.

2009-05-01

Shear flows arise in many high-energy-density (HED) and astrophysical systems, yet few laboratory experiments have been carried out to study their evolution in these extreme environments. Fundamentally, shear flows can initiate mixing via the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability and may eventually drive a transition to turbulence. We present two dedicated shear flow experiments that created subsonic and supersonic shear layers in HED plasmas. In the subsonic case the Omega laser was used to drive a shock wave along a rippled plastic interface, which subsequently rolled-upped into large KH vortices. In the supersonic shear experiment the Nike laser was used to drive Al plasma across a low-density foam surface also seeded with a ripple. Unlike the subsonic case, detached shocks developed around the ripples in response to the supersonic Al flow.

Battery-Powered RF Pre-Ionization System for the Caltech Magnetohydrodynamically-Driven Jet Experiment: RF Discharge Properties and MHD-Driven Jet Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaplin, Vernon H.

This thesis describes investigations of two classes of laboratory plasmas with rather different properties: partially ionized low pressure radiofrequency (RF) discharges, and fully ionized high density magnetohydrodynamically (MHD)-driven jets. An RF pre-ionization system was developed to enable neutral gas breakdown at lower pressures and create hotter, faster jets in the Caltech MHD-Driven Jet Experiment. The RF plasma source used a custom pulsed 3 kW 13.56 MHz RF power amplifier that was powered by AA batteries, allowing it to safely float at 4-6 kV with the cathode of the jet experiment. The argon RF discharge equilibrium and transport properties were analyzed, and novel jet dynamics were observed. Although the RF plasma source was conceived as a wave-heated helicon source, scaling measurements and numerical modeling showed that inductive coupling was the dominant energy input mechanism. A one-dimensional time-dependent fluid model was developed to quantitatively explain the expansion of the pre-ionized plasma into the jet experiment chamber. The plasma transitioned from an ionizing phase with depressed neutral emission to a recombining phase with enhanced emission during the course of the experiment, causing fast camera images to be a poor indicator of the density distribution. Under certain conditions, the total visible and infrared brightness and the downstream ion density both increased after the RF power was turned off. The time-dependent emission patterns were used for an indirect measurement of the neutral gas pressure. The low-mass jets formed with the aid of the pre-ionization system were extremely narrow and collimated near the electrodes, with peak density exceeding that of jets created without pre-ionization. The initial neutral gas distribution prior to plasma breakdown was found to be critical in determining the ultimate jet structure. The visible radius of the dense central jet column was several times narrower than the axial current channel radius, suggesting that the outer portion of the jet must have been force free, with the current parallel to the magnetic field. The studies of non-equilibrium flows and plasma self-organization being carried out at Caltech are relevant to astrophysical jets and fusion energy research.

Staging and laser acceleration of ions in underdense plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ting, Antonio; Hafizi, Bahman; Helle, Michael; Chen, Yu-Hsin; Gordon, Daniel; Kaganovich, Dmitri; Polyanskiy, Mikhail; Pogorelsky, Igor; Babzien, Markus; Miao, Chenlong; Dover, Nicholas; Najmudin, Zulfikar; Ettlinger, Oliver

2017-03-01

Accelerating ions from rest in a plasma requires extra considerations because of their heavy mass. Low phase velocity fields or quasi-electrostatic fields are often necessary, either by operating above or near the critical density or by applying other slow wave generating mechanisms. Solid targets have been a favorite and have generated many good results. High density gas targets have also been reported to produce energetic ions. It is interesting to consider acceleration of ions in laser-driven plasma configurations that will potentially allow continuous acceleration in multiple consecutive stages. The plasma will be derived from gaseous targets, producing plasma densities slightly below the critical plasma density (underdense) for the driving laser. Such a plasma is experimentally robust, being repeatable and relatively transparent to externally injected ions from a previous stage. When optimized, multiple stages of this underdense laser plasma acceleration mechanism can progressively accelerate the ions to a high final energy. For a light mass ion such as the proton, relativistic velocities could be reached, making it suitable for further acceleration by high phase velocity plasma accelerators to energies appropriate for High Energy Physics applications. Negatively charged ions such as antiprotons could be similarly accelerated in this multi-staged ion acceleration scheme.

Propagation of high frequency electrostatic surface waves along the planar interface between plasma and dusty plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, Rinku; Dey, M.

2018-04-01

An analytical model is developed that explains the propagation of a high frequency electrostatic surface wave along the interface of a plasma system where semi-infinite electron-ion plasma is interfaced with semi-infinite dusty plasma. The model emphasizes that the source of such high frequency waves is inherent in the presence of ion acoustic and dust ion acoustic/dust acoustic volume waves in electron-ion plasma and dusty plasma region. Wave dispersion relation is obtained for two distinct cases and the role of plasma parameters on wave dispersion is analyzed in short and long wavelength limits. The normalized surface wave frequency is seen to grow linearly for lower wave number but becomes constant for higher wave numbers in both the cases. It is observed that the normalized frequency depends on ion plasma frequencies when dust oscillation frequency is neglected.

Non-Inductively Driven Tokamak Plasmas at Near-Unity Toroidal Beta in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reusch, Joshua

2017-10-01

A major goal of the spherical tokamak research program is accessing a state of low internal inductance li, high elongation κ, high toroidal and normalized beta (βt and βN) , and low collisionality without solenoidal current drive. A new local helicity injection (LHI) system in the lower divertor region of the ultra-low aspect ratio Pegasus ST provides non-solenoidally driven plasmas that exhibit most of these characteristics. LHI utilizes compact, edge-localized current sources (Ainj 4 cm2, Iinj 8 kA, Vinj 1.5 kV) for plasma startup and sustainment, and can sustain more than 200 kA of plasma current. Plasma growth via LHI is enhanced by a transition from a regime of high kink-like MHD activity to one of reduced MHD activity at higher frequencies and presumably shorter wavelengths. The strong edge current drive provided by LHI results in a hollow current density profile with low li. The low aspect ratio (R0 / a 1.2) of Pegasus allows ready access to high κ and MHD stable operation at very high normalized plasma currents (IN =Ip /aBT> 15). Thomson scattering measurements indicate Te 100 eV and ne 1 ×19 m-3. The impurity Ti evolution is correlated in time with high frequency magnetic fluctuations, implying substantial reconnection ion heating is driven by the applied helicity injection. Doppler spectroscopy indicates Ti >=Te and that the anomalous ion heating scales consistently with two fluid reconnection theory. Taken together, these features provide access to very high βt plasmas. Equilibrium analyses indicate βt up to 100% and βN 6.5 is achieved. At increasingly low BT, the discharge disrupts at the no-wall ideal stability limit. In these high βt discharges, a minimum |B| well forms over 50% of the plasma volume. This unique magnetic configuration may be of interest for testing predictions of stabilizing drift wave turbulence and/or improving energetic particle confinement. This work supported by US DOE Grants DE-FG02-96ER54375 and DE-SC0006928.

Electromagnetic radiation and nonlinear energy flow in an electron beam-plasma system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whelan, D. A.; Stenzel, R. L.

1985-01-01

It is shown that the unstable electron-plasma waves of a beam-plasma system can generate electromagnetic radiation in a uniform plasma. The generation mechanism is a scattering of the unstable electron plasma waves off ion-acoustic waves, producing electromagnetic waves whose frequency is near the local plasma frequency. The wave vector and frequency matching conditions of the three-wave mode coupling are experimentally verified. The electromagnetic radiation is observed to be polarized with the electric field parallel to the beam direction, and its source region is shown to be localized to the unstable plasma wave region. The frequency spectrum shows negligible intensity near the second harmonic of the plasma frequency. These results suggest that the observed electromagnetic radiation of type III solar bursts may be generated near the local plasma frequency and observed downstream where the wave frequency is near the harmonic of the plasma frequency.

Using a short-pulse diffraction-limited laser beam to probe filamentation of a random phase plate smoothed beam.

PubMed

Kline, J L; Montgomery, D S; Flippo, K A; Johnson, R P; Rose, H A; Shimada, T; Williams, E A

2008-10-01

A short pulse (few picoseconds) laser probe provides high temporal resolution measurements to elucidate details of fast dynamic phenomena not observable with typical longer laser pulse probes and gated diagnostics. Such a short pulse laser probe (SPLP) has been used to measure filamentation of a random phase plate (RPP) smoothed laser beam in a gas-jet plasma. The plasma index of refraction due to driven density and temperature fluctuations by the RPP beam perturbs the phase front of a SPLP propagating at a 90 degree angle with respect to the RPP interaction beam. The density and temperature fluctuations are quasistatic on the time scale of the SPLP (approximately 2 ps). The transmitted near-field intensity distribution from the SPLP provides a measure of the phase front perturbation. At low plasma densities, the transmitted intensity pattern is asymmetric with striations across the entire probe beam in the direction of the RPP smoothed beam. As the plasma density increases, the striations break up into smaller sizes along the direction of the RPP beam propagation. The breakup of the intensity pattern is consistent with self-focusing of the RPP smoothed interaction beam. Simulations of the experiment using the wave propagation code, PF3D, are in qualitative agreement demonstrating that the asymmetric striations can be attributed to the RPP driven density fluctuations. Quantification of the beam breakup measured by the transmitted SPLP could lead to a new method for measuring self-focusing of lasers in underdense plasmas.

A 300 GHz collective scattering diagnostic for low temperature plasmas.

PubMed

Hardin, Robert A; Scime, Earl E; Heard, John

2008-10-01

A compact and portable 300 GHz collective scattering diagnostic employing a homodyne detection scheme has been constructed and installed on the hot helicon experiment (HELIX). Verification of the homodyne detection scheme was accomplished with a rotating grooved aluminum wheel to Doppler shift the interaction beam. The HELIX chamber geometry and collection optics allow measurement of scattering angles ranging from 60 degrees to 90 degrees. Artificially driven ion-acoustic waves are also being investigated as a proof-of-principle test for the diagnostic system.

Energetic particle-driven compressional Alfvén eigenmodes and prospects for ion cyclotron emission studies in fusion plasmas

DOE PAGES

Gorelenkov, N. N.

2016-10-01

As a fundamental plasma oscillation the compressional Alfvén waves (CAW) are interesting for plasma scientists both academically and in applications for fusion plasmas. They are believed to be responsible for the ion cyclotron emission (ICE) observed in many tokamaks. The theory of CAW and ICE was significantly advanced at the end of 20th century in particular motivated by first DT experiments on TFTR and subsequent JET DT experimental studies. More recently, ICE theory was advanced by ST (or spherical torus) experiments with the detailed theoretical and experimental studies of the properties of each instability signal. There the instability responsible formore » ICE signals previously indistinguishable in high aspect ratio tokamaks became the subjects of experimental studies. We discuss further the prospects of ICE theory and its applications for future burning plasma (BP) experiments such as the ITER tokamak-reactor prototype being build in France where neutrons and gamma rays escaping the plasma create extremely challenging conditions for fusion alpha particle diagnostics.a« less

Formation and dynamics of plasma bullets in a non-thermal plasma jet: influence of the high-voltage parameters on the plume characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarrige, Julien; Laroussi, Mounir; Karakas, Erdinc

2010-12-01

Non-thermal plasma jets in open air are composed of ionization waves commonly known as 'plasma bullets' propagating at high velocities. We present in this paper an experimental study of plasma bullets produced in a dielectric barrier discharge linear-field reactor fed with helium and driven by microsecond high-voltage pulses. Two discharges were produced between electrodes for every pulse (at the rising and falling edge), but only one bullet was generated. Fast intensified charge coupled device camera imaging showed that bullet velocity and diameter increase with applied voltage. Spatially resolved optical emission spectroscopy measurements provided evidence of the hollow structure of the jet and its contraction. It was shown that the pulse amplitude significantly enhances electron energy and production of active species. The plasma bullet appeared to behave like a surface discharge in the tube, and like a positive streamer in air. A kinetics mechanism based on electron impact, Penning effect and charge transfer reactions is proposed to explain the propagation of the ionization front and temporal behavior of the radiative species.

Complex astrophysical experiments relating to jets, solar loops, and water ice dusty plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellan, P. M.; Zhai, X.; Chai, K. B.; Ha, B. N.

2015-10-01

> Recent results of three astrophysically relevant experiments at Caltech are summarized. In the first experiment magnetohydrodynamically driven plasma jets simulate astrophysical jets that undergo a kink instability. Lateral acceleration of the kinking jet spawns a Rayleigh-Taylor instability, which in turn spawns a magnetic reconnection. Particle heating and a burst of waves are observed in association with the reconnection. The second experiment uses a slightly different setup to produce an expanding arched plasma loop which is similar to a solar corona loop. It is shown that the plasma in this loop results from jets originating from the electrodes. The possibility of a transition from slow to fast expansion as a result of the expanding loop breaking free of an externally imposed strapping magnetic field is investigated. The third and completely different experiment creates a weakly ionized plasma with liquid nitrogen cooled electrodes. Water vapour injected into this plasma forms water ice grains that in general are ellipsoidal and not spheroidal. The water ice grains can become quite long (up to several hundred microns) and self-organize so that they are evenly spaced and vertically aligned.

A comprehensive study of electrostatic turbulence and transport in the laboratory basic plasma device TORPEX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furno, I.; Fasoli, A.; Avino, F.; Bovet, A.; Gustafson, K.; Iraji, D.; Labit, B.; Loizu, J.; Ricci, P.; Theiler, C.

2012-04-01

TORPEX is a toroidal device located at the CRPP-EPFL in Lausanne. In TORPEX, a vertical magnetic field superposed on a toroidal field creates helicoidal field lines with both ends terminating on the torus vessel. The turbulence driven by magnetic curvature and plasma gradients causes plasma transport in the radial direction while at the same time plasma is progressively lost along the field lines. The relatively simple magnetic geometry and diagnostic access of the TORPEX configuration facilitate the experimental study of low frequency instabilities and related turbulent transport, and make an accurate comparison between simulations and experiments possible. We first present a detailed investigation of electrostatic interchange turbulence, associated structures and their effect on plasma using high-resolution diagnostics of plasma parameters and wave fields throughout the whole device cross-section, fluid models and numerical simulations. Interchange modes nonlinearly develop blobs, radially propagating filaments of enhanced plasma pressure. Blob velocities and sizes are obtained from probe measurements using pattern recognition and are described by an analytical expression that includes ion polarization currents, parallel sheath currents and ion-neutral collisions. Then, we describe recent advances of a non-perturbative Li 6+ miniaturized ion source and a detector for the investigation of the interaction between supra thermal ions and interchange-driven turbulence. We present first measurements of the spatial and energy space distribution of the fast ion beam in different plasma scenarios, in which the plasma turbulence is fully characterized. The experiments are interpreted using two-dimensional fluid simulations describing the low-frequency interchange turbulence, taking into account the plasma source and plasma losses at the torus vessel. By treating fast ions as test particles, we integrate their equations of motion in the simulated electromagnetic fields, and we compare their time-averaged and statistical properties with experimental data. Finally, we discuss future developments including the possibility of closing the magnetic field lines and of performing magnetic reconnection experiments.

Theory of Electromagnetic Surface Waves in Plasma with Smooth Boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzelev, M. V.

2018-05-01

A theory of nonpotential surface waves in plasma with smooth boundaries is developed. The complex frequencies of surface waves for plasma systems of different geometries and different profiles of the plasma density are calculated. Expressions for the rates of collisionless damping of surface waves due to their resonance interaction with local plasma waves of continuous spectrum are obtained. The influence of collisions in plasma is also considered.

Planetary plasma waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurnett, Donald A.

1993-01-01

The primary types of plasma waves observed in the vicinity of the planets Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are described. The observations are organized according to the various types of plasma waves observed, ordered according to decreasing distance from the planet, starting from the sunward side of the planet, and ending in the region near the closest approach. The plasma waves observed include: electron plasma oscillations and ion acoustic waves; trapped continuum radiation; electron cyclotron and upper hybrid waves; whistler-mode emissions; electrostatic ion cyclotron waves; and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves.

Electric Field and Plasma Density Observations of Irregularities and Plasma Instabilities in the Low Latitude Ionosphere Gathered by the C/NOFS Satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pfaff, Robert F.; Freudenreich, H.; Rowland, D.; Klenzing, J.; Liebrecht, C.

2012-01-01

The Vector Electric Field Investigation (VEFI) on the C/NOFS equatorial satellite provides a unique data set which includes detailed measurements of irregularities associated with the equatorial ionosphere and in particular with spread-F depletions. We present vector AC electric field observations gathered on C/NOFS that address a variety of key questions regarding how plasma irregularities, from meter to kilometer scales, are created and evolve. The talk focuses on occasions where the ionosphere F-peak has been elevated above the C/NOFS satellite perigee of 400 km as solar activity has increased. In particular, during the equinox periods of 2011, the satellite consistently journeyed below the F-peak whenever the orbit was in the region of the South Atlantic anomaly after sunset. During these passes, data from the electric field and plasma density probes on the satellite have revealed two types of instabilities which had not previously been observed in the C/NOFS data set: The first is evidence for 400-500km-scale bottomside "undulations" that appear in the density and electric field data. In one case, these large scale waves are associated with a strong shear in the zonal E x B flow, as evidenced by variations in the meridional (outward) electric fields observed above and below the F-peak. These undulations are devoid of smaller scale structures in the early evening, yet appear at later local times along the same orbit associated with fully-developed spread-F with smaller scale structures. This suggests that they may be precursor waves for spread-F, driven by a collisional shear instability, following ideas advanced previously by researchers using data from the Jicamarca radar. A second result is the appearance of km-scale irregularities that are a common feature in the electric field and plasma density data that also appear when the satellite is near or below the F-peak at night. The vector electric field instrument on C/NOFS clearly shows that the electric field component of these waves is strongest in the zonal direction. These waves are strongly correlated with simultaneous observations of plasma density oscillations and appear both with, and without, evidence of larger-scale spread-F depletions. These km-scale, quasi-coherent waves strongly resemble the bottomside, sinusoidal irregularities reported in the Atmosphere Explorer satellite data set by Valladares et al. and are believed to cause scintillations of VHF radiowaves. We interpret these new observations in terms of fundamental plasma instabilities associated with the unstable, nighttime equatorial ionosphere.

PALS laser-driven radiative jets for astrophysical and ICF applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pisarczyk, T.; Kasperczuk, A.; Stenz, Ch.

2008-03-19

High speed, well-collimated plasma jets were generated in the interaction of defocused single laser beam with planar, massive Cu target. The experiment was carried out at the iodine laser facility (Prague Asterix Laser System--PALS) using the third harmonic beam (0.438 {mu}m) with a pulse duration of 250 ps (FWHM) and an energy of 100 J. The information about geometry of plasma expansion, plasma dynamics and electron density were obtained by means of a 3-frame interferometric system. The plasma jet parameters reach the following values: the velocity up to 7x10{sup 7} cm/s, the internal Mach number greater than 10 and themore » electron density above 10{sup 19} cm{sup -3}. The jet characteristics are appropriate for the astrophysical and ICF applications. To ensure the interaction of this jet with gas or plasma as an ambient medium, a high-pressure supersonic gas nozzle was used, which created a cylindrical column of Ar or He. The results of first experiments dedicated to studies of collision of such a jet with a gas cloud are also presented. They clearly show the effect of shocks formation in ambient gases (He and Ar) due to the jet action. In the case of He the shock waves have usually a conical shape with a thickness of 1-1.5 mm, whereas in the case of Ar, the shock wave configuration is more complex and its thickness is less than 1 mm.« less

Nonlinear energy transfer and current sheet development in localized Alfvén wavepacket collisions in the strong turbulence limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verniero, J. L.; Howes, G. G.; Klein, K. G.

2018-02-01

In space and astrophysical plasmas, turbulence is responsible for transferring energy from large scales driven by violent events or instabilities, to smaller scales where turbulent energy is ultimately converted into plasma heat by dissipative mechanisms. The nonlinear interaction between counterpropagating Alfvén waves, denoted Alfvén wave collisions, drives this turbulent energy cascade, as recognized by early work with incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations. Recent work employing analytical calculations and nonlinear gyrokinetic simulations of Alfvén wave collisions in an idealized periodic initial state have demonstrated the key properties that strong Alfvén wave collisions mediate effectively the transfer of energy to smaller perpendicular scales and self-consistently generate current sheets. For the more realistic case of the collision between two initially separated Alfvén wavepackets, we use a nonlinear gyrokinetic simulation to show here that these key properties persist: strong Alfvén wavepacket collisions indeed facilitate the perpendicular cascade of energy and give rise to current sheets. Furthermore, the evolution shows that nonlinear interactions occur only while the wavepackets overlap, followed by a clean separation of the wavepackets with straight uniform magnetic fields and the cessation of nonlinear evolution in between collisions, even in the gyrokinetic simulation presented here which resolves dispersive and kinetic effects beyond the reach of the MHD theory.

Sheaths: A Comparison of Magnetospheric, ICME, and Heliospheric Sheaths

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sibeck, D. G.; Richardson, J. D.; Liu, W.

2007-01-01

When a supersonic flow encounters an obstacles, shocks form to divert the flow around the obstacle. The region between the shock and the obstacle is the sheath, where the supersonic flow is compressed, heated, decelerated, and deflected. Supersonic flows, obstacles, and thus sheaths are observed on many scales throughout the Universe. We compare three examples seen in the heliosphere, illustrating the interaction of the solar wind with obstacles of three very different scales lengths. Magnetosheaths form behind planetary bow shocks on scales ranging from tens to 100 planetary radii. ICME sheath form behind shocks driven by solar disturbances on scale lengths of a few to tens of AU. The heliosheath forms behind the termination shock due to the obstacle presented by the interstellar medium on scale lengths of tens to a hundred AU. Despite this range in scales some common features have been observed. Magnetic holes, possibly due to mirror mode waves, have been observed in all three of these sheaths. Plasma depletion layers are observed in planetary and ICME sheaths. Other features observed in some sheaths are wave activity (ion cyclotron, plasma), energetic particles, transmission of Alfven waves/shocks, tangential discontinuities turbulence behind quasi-parallel shocks, standing slow mode waves, and reconnection on the obstacle boundary. We compare these sheath regions, discussing similarities and differences and how these may relate to the scale lengths of these regions.

Understanding the impact of insulating and conducting endplate boundary conditions on turbulence in CSDX through nonlocal simulations

DOE PAGES

Vaezi, P.; Holland, C.; Thakur, S. C.; ...

2017-04-01

The Controlled Shear Decorrelation Experiment (CSDX) linear plasma device provides a unique platform for investigating the underlying physics of self-regulating drift-wave turbulence/zonal flow dynamics. A minimal model of 3D drift-reduced nonlocal cold ion fluid equations which evolves density, vorticity, and electron temperature fluctuations, with proper sheath boundary conditions, is used to simulate dynamics of the turbulence in CSDX and its response to changes in parallel boundary conditions. These simulations are then carried out using the BOUndary Turbulence (BOUT++) framework and use equilibrium electron density and temperature profiles taken from experimental measurements. The results show that density gradient-driven drift-waves are themore » dominant instability in CSDX. However, the choice of insulating or conducting endplate boundary conditions affects the linear growth rates and energy balance of the system due to the absence or addition of Kelvin-Helmholtz modes generated by the sheath-driven equilibrium E × B shear and sheath-driven temperature gradient instability. Moreover, nonlinear simulation results show that the boundary conditions impact the turbulence structure and zonal flow formation, resulting in less broadband (more quasi-coherent) turbulence and weaker zonal flow in conducting boundary condition case. These results are qualitatively consistent with earlier experimental observations.« less

Plasma Waves Associated with Mass-Loaded Comets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsurutani, Bruce; Glassmeier, Karl-Heinz

2015-01-01

Plasma waves and instabilities are integrally involved with the plasma "pickup" process and the mass loading of the solar wind (thus the formation of ion tails and the magnetic tails). Anisotropic plasmas generated by solar wind-comet interactions (the bow shock, magnetic field pileup) cause the generation of plasma waves which in turn "smooth out" these discontinuities. The plasma waves evolve and form plasma turbulence. Comets are perhaps the best "laboratories" to study waves and turbulence because over time (and distance) one can identify the waves and their evolution. We will argue that comets in some ways are better laboratories than magnetospheres, interplanetary space and fusion devices to study nonlinear waves and their evolution.

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks

DOE PAGES

Spong, D. A.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Paz-Soldan, C.; ...

2018-04-11

DIII-D experiments at low density (n e ~10 19 m -3) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100– 200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limitcycle- like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission thatmore » follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.« less

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks.

PubMed

Spong, D A; Heidbrink, W W; Paz-Soldan, C; Du, X D; Thome, K E; Van Zeeland, M A; Collins, C; Lvovskiy, A; Moyer, R A; Austin, M E; Brennan, D P; Liu, C; Jaeger, E F; Lau, C

2018-04-13

DIII-D experiments at low density (n_{e}∼10^{19}  m^{-3}) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100-200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limit-cycle-like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission that follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.

Excitation of MHD waves upstream of Jupiter by energetic sulfur or oxygen ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Goldstein, M. L.; Wong, H. K.; Eviatar, A.

1986-01-01

Large fluxes of heavy ions have been reported upstream of Jupiter's bow shock as Voyager 1 approached the planet (Zwickl et al., 1981; Krimigis et al., 1985). Enhanced low-frequency magnetic wave activity was also observed during the particle events. The fluctuations are left-handed, elliptically polarized in the plasma frame. The spectrum of these fluctuations contains a peak close to the Doppler-shifted resonance frequency of a sulfur or oxygen beam with streaming energy of approximately 30 keV. These fluctuations are also present in the spectrum of the magnitude of the field. It is concluded that the observations result from an instability driven by an energetic beam of either sulfur or oxygen. The wave observations can be described by a heavy ion distribution with both a streaming anisotropy and a temperature anisotropy. This class of heavy ion streaming instabilities may also play a role in wave-particle interactions in the vicinity of comets.

First Direct Observation of Runaway-Electron-Driven Whistler Waves in Tokamaks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Spong, D. A.; Heidbrink, W. W.; Paz-Soldan, C.

DIII-D experiments at low density (n e ~10 19 m -3) have directly measured whistler waves in the 100– 200 MHz range excited by multi-MeV runaway electrons. Whistler activity is correlated with runaway intensity (hard x-ray emission level), occurs in novel discrete frequency bands, and exhibits nonlinear limitcycle- like behavior. The measured frequencies scale with the magnetic field strength and electron density as expected from the whistler dispersion relation. The modes are stabilized with increasing magnetic field, which is consistent with wave-particle resonance mechanisms. The mode amplitudes show intermittent time variations correlated with changes in the electron cyclotron emission thatmore » follow predator-prey cycles. These can be interpreted as wave-induced pitch angle scattering of moderate energy runaways. The tokamak runaway-whistler mechanisms have parallels to whistler phenomena in ionospheric plasmas. The observations also open new directions for the modeling and active control of runaway electrons in tokamaks.« less

Performance characterisation of a passive cavitation detector optimised for subharmonic periodic shock waves from acoustic cavitation in MHz and sub-MHz ultrasound.

PubMed

Johansen, Kristoffer; Song, Jae Hee; Prentice, Paul

2018-05-01

We describe the design, construction and characterisation of a broadband passive cavitation detector, with the specific aim of detecting low frequency components of periodic shock waves, with high sensitivity. A finite element model is used to guide selection of matching and backing layers for the shock wave passive cavitation detector (swPCD), and the performance is evaluated against a commercially available device. Validation of the model, and characterisation of the swPCD is achieved through experimental detection of laser-plasma bubble collapse shock waves. The final swPCD design is 20 dB more sensitive to the subharmonic component, from acoustic cavitation driven at 220 kHz, than the comparable commercial device. This work may be significant for monitoring cavitation in medical applications, where sensitive detection is critical, and higher frequencies are more readily absorbed by tissue. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrostatic odd symmetric eigenmode in inhomogeneous Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woo, M.-H.; Dokgo, K.; Yoon, Peter H.; Lee, D.-Y.; Choi, Cheong R.

2018-04-01

A self-consistent electrostatic odd-symmetric eigenmode (OEM) is analytically found in a solitary type Bernstein-Greene-Kruskal (BGK) equilibrium. The frequency of the OEM is order of the electron bounce frequency and it is spatially odd-symmetric with the scale comparable to that of the solitary BGK equilibrium structure. Such an OEM is consistent with the recent observation from particle-in-cell simulation of the solitary wave [Dokgo et al., Phys. Plasmas 23, 092107 (2016)]. The mode can be driven unstable by trapped electrons within the hole structure of the solitary wave. Such a low frequency, pure electron mode, which may possibly interact resonantly with the ion acoustic mode, provides a possible damping mechanism of the BGK equilibrium.

The dissipation of electromagnetic waves in plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basov, N. G.

The present anthology includes articles concerning the experimental study of the interaction of high power electromagnetic waves with collisionless plasmas and with electrons. Among the topics covered are the nonlinear dissipation of electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous collisionless plasmas, the collisionless absorption of electromagnetic waves in plasmas and 'slow' nonlinear phenomena, the nonlinear effects of electron plasma waves propagating in an inhomogeneous plasma layer, and secondary-emission microwave discharges having large electron transit angles.

Ultra high energy electrons powered by pulsar rotation.

PubMed

Mahajan, Swadesh; Machabeli, George; Osmanov, Zaza; Chkheidze, Nino

2013-01-01

A new mechanism of particle acceleration, driven by the rotational slow down of the Crab pulsar, is explored. The rotation, through the time dependent centrifugal force, can efficiently excite unstable Langmuir waves in the electron-positron (hereafter e(±)) plasma of the star magnetosphere. These waves, then, Landau damp on electrons accelerating them in the process. The net transfer of energy is optimal when the wave growth and the Landau damping times are comparable and are both very short compared to the star rotation time. We show, by detailed calculations, that these are precisely the conditions for the parameters of the Crab pulsar. This highly efficient route for energy transfer allows the electrons in the primary beam to be catapulted to multiple TeV (~ 100 TeV) and even PeV energy domain. It is expected that the proposed mechanism may, unravel the puzzle of the origin of ultra high energy cosmic ray electrons.

Radar observations of density gradients, electric fields, and plasma irregularities near polar cap patches in the context of the gradient-drift instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lamarche, Leslie J.; Makarevich, Roman A.

2017-03-01

We present observations of plasma density gradients, electric fields, and small-scale plasma irregularities near a polar cap patch made by the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network radar at Rankin Inlet (RKN) and the northern face of Resolute Bay Incoherent Scatter Radar (RISR-N). RKN echo power and occurrence are analyzed in the context of gradient-drift instability (GDI) theory, with a particular focus on the previously uninvestigated 2-D dependencies on wave propagation, electric field, and gradient vectors, with the latter two quantities evaluated directly from RISR-N measurements. It is shown that higher gradient and electric field components along the wave vector generally lead to the higher observed echo occurrence, which is consistent with the expected higher GDI growth rate, but the relationship with echo power is far less straightforward. The RKN echo power increases monotonically as the predicted linear growth rate approaches zero from negative values but does not continue this trend into positive growth rate values, in contrast with GDI predictions. The observed greater consistency of echo occurrence with GDI predictions suggests that GDI operating in the linear regime can control basic plasma structuring, but measured echo strength may be affected by other processes and factors, such as multistep or nonlinear processes or a shear-driven instability.

Plasma Physics Challenges of MM-to-THz and High Power Microwave Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Booske, John

2007-11-01

Homeland security and military defense technology considerations have stimulated intense interest in mobile, high power sources of millimeter-wave to terahertz regime electromagnetic radiation, from 0.1 to 10 THz. While sources at the low frequency end, i.e., the gyrotron, have been deployed or are being tested for diverse applications such as WARLOC radar and active denial systems, the challenges for higher frequency sources have yet to be completely met for applications including noninvasive sensing of concealed weapons and dangerous agents, high-data-rate communications, and high resolution spectroscopy and atmospheric sensing. The compact size requirements for many of these high frequency sources requires miniscule, micro-fabricated slow wave circuits with high rf ohmic losses. This necessitates electron beams with not only very small transverse dimensions but also very high current density for adequate gain. Thus, the emerging family of mm-to-THz e-beam-driven vacuum electronics devices share many of the same plasma physics challenges that currently confront ``classic'' high power microwave (HPM) generators [1] including bright electron sources, intense beam transport, energetic electron interaction with surfaces and rf air breakdown at output windows. Multidimensional theoretical and computational models are especially important for understanding and addressing these challenges. The contemporary plasma physics issues, recent achievements, as well as the opportunities and outlook on THz and HPM will be addressed. [1] R.J. Barker, J.H. Booske, N.C. Luhmann, and G.S. Nusinovich, Modern Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Power Electronics (IEEE/Wiley, 2005).

Wave generation by contaminant ions near a large spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, N.

1993-01-01

Measurements from the space shuttle flights have revealed that a large spacecraft in a low earth orbit is accompanied by an extensive gas cloud which is primarily made up of water. The charge exchange between the water molecule and the ionospheric O(+) ions produces a water ion beam traversing downstream of the spacecraft. In this report we present results from a study on the generation of plasma waves by the interaction of the water ion beams with the ionospheric plasma. Since velocity distribution function is key to the understanding of the wave generation process, we have performed a test particle simulation to determine the nature of H2O(+) ions velocity distribution function. The simulations show that at the time scales shorter than the ion cyclotron period tau(sub c), the distribution function can be described by a beam. On the other hand, when the time scales are larger than tau(sub c), a ring distribution forms. A brief description of the linear instabilities driven by an ion beam streaming across a magnetic field in a plasma is presented. We have identified two types of instabilities occurring in low and high frequency bands; the low-frequency instability occurs over the frequency band from zero to about the lower hybrid frequency for a sufficiently low beam density. As the beam density increases, the linear instability occurs at decreasing frequencies below the lower-hybrid frequency. The high frequency instability occurs near the electron cyclotron frequency and its harmonics.

CORONAL JETS SIMULATED WITH THE GLOBAL ALFVÉN WAVE SOLAR MODEL

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Szente, J.; Toth, G.; Manchester IV, W. B.

This paper describes a numerical modeling study of coronal jets to understand their effects on the global corona and their contribution to the solar wind. We implement jets into a well-established three-dimensional, two-temperature magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) solar corona model employing Alfvén-wave dissipation to produce a realistic solar-wind background. The jets are produced by positioning a compact magnetic dipole under the solar surface and rotating the boundary plasma around the dipole's magnetic axis. The moving plasma drags the magnetic field lines along with it, ultimately leading to a reconnection-driven jet similar to that described by Pariat et al. We compare line-of-sight syntheticmore » images to multiple jet observations at EUV and X-ray bands, and find very close matches in terms of physical structure, dynamics, and emission. Key contributors to this agreement are the greatly enhanced plasma density and temperature in our jets compared to previous models. These enhancements arise from the comprehensive thermodynamic model that we use and, also, our inclusion of a dense chromosphere at the base of our jet-generating regions. We further find that the large-scale corona is affected significantly by the outwardly propagating torsional Alfvén waves generated by our polar jet, across 40° in latitude and out to 24 R {sub ⊙}. We estimate that polar jets contribute only a few percent to the steady-state solar-wind energy outflow.« less

Plasma Antenna Based on Superparamagnetic Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papadopoulos, K.

2017-12-01

A novel plasma antenna for space or ground based generation and injection of whistler and Alfven waves is presented. The new antenna concept is based on recently manufactured, small (10-60 nm radius), single domain, non-interacting magnetic grains with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, known as superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPN), dispersed in low viscosity, non-conducting media. SPNs can be described as ensembles of non-interacting magnetic moments μ with energy E=-μB when driven by a magnetic field B, similar to ordinary paramagnets, with exception that SPNs are composed by many thousands of magnetic atoms and as result have susceptibilities comparable to ferromagnets but with zero coercivity. The Langevin function accurately describes the dynamic behavior of the magnetization in the presence of low frequency AC fields since the characteristic mechanical (Brownian) and magnetic (Neel) relaxation times are shorter than 10msecs. For ground-based applications the grains are suspended in low viscosity carrier liquids, such as water or benzne and are known as ferrofluids. For space based applications, such as wave injection from CubeSats they can be dispersed as dust in vacuum containers. Agglomeration is avoided by coating the grains by coating their surface by an appropriate surfactant molecule. The ensemble of magnetic grains is driven to rotation at the desired VLF or ELF frequency by a pair of Helmholtz like coils surrounding the grain container. The near field electric field associated with rotating magnetic field then drives currents such as were observed in Rotating Magnetic Field experiments at the UCLA/LAPD chamber [Gigliotti et al., Phys. of Plasmas 16:092106; Karavaev et al., Phys. of Plasmas 17(1):012102,2010]. The magnetic moment of the AC coil is amplified by the susceptibility χ of the SPN ensemble that depending on the grain size and material can reach values of 104-105. Preliminary estimates indicate that less than 1 kg of SPN grains and power of the order of 10 W can inject in the radiation belts EMIC and whistler waves with amplitude more than 100 pT and controlled chirp. Acknowledgments: This research is supported by AFOSR grant F9550-13-1-0194. Contributions from Drs. T. Wallace, C. L. Chang, I. Smolyaninov, V. Smolyaninova, M. Sanjini, and Profs I. Meyergoyz and C. Davis are gratefully acknowledged.

PIC simulation of a thermal anisotropy-driven Weibel instability in a circular rarefaction wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dieckmann, M. E.; Sarri, G.; Murphy, G. C.; Bret, A.; Romagnani, L.; Kourakis, I.; Borghesi, M.; Ynnerman, A.; O'C Drury, L.

2012-02-01

The expansion of an initially unmagnetized planar rarefaction wave has recently been shown to trigger a thermal anisotropy-driven Weibel instability (TAWI), which can generate magnetic fields from noise levels. It is examined here whether the TAWI can also grow in a curved rarefaction wave. The expansion of an initially unmagnetized circular plasma cloud, which consists of protons and hot electrons, into a vacuum is modelled for this purpose with a two-dimensional particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation. It is shown that the momentum transfer from the electrons to the radially accelerating protons can indeed trigger a TAWI. Radial current channels form and the aperiodic growth of a magnetowave is observed, which has a magnetic field that is oriented orthogonal to the simulation plane. The induced electric field implies that the electron density gradient is no longer parallel to the electric field. Evidence is presented here that this electric field modification triggers a second magnetic instability, which results in a rotational low-frequency magnetowave. The relevance of the TAWI is discussed for the growth of small-scale magnetic fields in astrophysical environments, which are needed to explain the electromagnetic emissions by astrophysical jets. It is outlined how this instability could be examined experimentally.

A Two Species Bump-On-Tail Model With Relaxation for Energetic Particle Driven Modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aslanyan, V.; Porkolab, M.; Sharapov, S. E.; Spong, D. A.

2017-10-01

Energetic particle driven Alfvén Eigenmodes (AEs) observed in present day experiments exhibit various nonlinear behaviours varying from steady state amplitude at a fixed frequency to bursting amplitudes and sweeping frequency. Using the appropriate action-angle variables, the problem of resonant wave-particle interaction becomes effectively one-dimensional. Previously, a simple one-dimensional Bump-On-Tail (BOT) model has proven to be one of the most effective in describing characteristic nonlinear near-threshold wave evolution scenarios. In particular, dynamical friction causes bursting mode evolution, while diffusive relaxation may give steady-state, periodic or chaotic mode evolution. BOT has now been extended to include two populations of fast particles, with one dominated by dynamical friction at the resonance and the other by diffusion; the relative size of the populations determines the temporal evolution of the resulting wave. This suggests an explanation for recent observations on the TJ-II stellarator, where a transition between steady state and bursting occured as the magnetic configuration varied. The two species model is then applied to burning plasma with drag-dominated alpha particles and diffusion-dominated ICRH accelerated minority ions. This work was supported by the US DoE and the RCUK Energy Programme [Grant Number EP/P012450/1].

Plasma Waves in the Magnetosheath of Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strangeway, Robert J.

1996-01-01

Research supported by this grant is divided into three basic topics of investigation. These are: (1) Plasma waves in the Venus magnetosheath, (2) Plasma waves in the Venus foreshock and solar wind, (3) plasma waves in the Venus nightside ionosphere and ionotail. The main issues addressed in the first area - Plasma waves in the Venus magnetosheath - dealt with the wave modes observed in the magnetosheath and upper ionosphere, and whether these waves are a significant source of heating for the topside ionosphere. The source of the waves was also investigated. In the second area - Plasma waves in the Venus foreshock and solar wind, we carried out some research on waves observed upstream of the planetary bow shock known as the foreshock. The foreshock and bow shock modify the ambient magnetic field and plasma, and need to be understood if we are to understand the magnetosheath. Although most of the research was directed to wave observations on the dayside of the planet, in the last of the three basic areas studied, we also analyzed data from the nightside. The plasma waves observed by the Pioneer Venus Orbiter on the nightside continue to be of considerable interest since they have been cited as evidence for lightning on Venus.

Ion acceleration in electrostatic collisionless shock: on the optimal density profile for quasi-monoenergetic beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boella, E.; Fiúza, F.; Novo, A. Stockem

Here, a numerical study on ion acceleration in electrostatic shock waves is presented, with the aim of determining the best plasma configuration to achieve quasi-monoenergetic ion beams in laser-driven systems. It was recently shown that tailored near-critical density plasmas characterized by a long-scale decreasing rear density profile lead to beams with low energy spread (Fiúza et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 215001). In this work, a detailed parameter scan investigating different plasma scale lengths is carried out. As result, the optimal plasma spatial scale length that allows for minimizing the energy spread while ensuring a significant reflection of ionsmore » by the shock is identified. Furthermore, a new configuration where the required profile has been obtained by coupling micro layers of different densities is proposed. Lastly, results show that this new engineered approach is a valid alternative, guaranteeing a low energy spread with a higher level of controllability.« less

Optical control of hard X-ray polarization by electron injection in a laser wakefield accelerator

PubMed Central

Schnell, Michael; Sävert, Alexander; Uschmann, Ingo; Reuter, Maria; Nicolai, Maria; Kämpfer, Tino; Landgraf, Björn; Jäckel, Oliver; Jansen, Oliver; Pukhov, Alexander; Kaluza, Malte Christoph; Spielmann, Christian

2013-01-01

Laser-plasma particle accelerators could provide more compact sources of high-energy radiation than conventional accelerators. Moreover, because they deliver radiation in femtosecond pulses, they could improve the time resolution of X-ray absorption techniques. Here we show that we can measure and control the polarization of ultra-short, broad-band keV photon pulses emitted from a laser-plasma-based betatron source. The electron trajectories and hence the polarization of the emitted X-rays are experimentally controlled by the pulse-front tilt of the driving laser pulses. Particle-in-cell simulations show that an asymmetric plasma wave can be driven by a tilted pulse front and a non-symmetric intensity distribution of the focal spot. Both lead to a notable off-axis electron injection followed by collective electron–betatron oscillations. We expect that our method for an all-optical steering is not only useful for plasma-based X-ray sources but also has significance for future laser-based particle accelerators. PMID:24026068

Ion acceleration in electrostatic collisionless shock: on the optimal density profile for quasi-monoenergetic beams

DOE PAGES

Boella, E.; Fiúza, F.; Novo, A. Stockem; ...

2018-02-01

Here, a numerical study on ion acceleration in electrostatic shock waves is presented, with the aim of determining the best plasma configuration to achieve quasi-monoenergetic ion beams in laser-driven systems. It was recently shown that tailored near-critical density plasmas characterized by a long-scale decreasing rear density profile lead to beams with low energy spread (Fiúza et al 2012 Phys. Rev. Lett. 109 215001). In this work, a detailed parameter scan investigating different plasma scale lengths is carried out. As result, the optimal plasma spatial scale length that allows for minimizing the energy spread while ensuring a significant reflection of ionsmore » by the shock is identified. Furthermore, a new configuration where the required profile has been obtained by coupling micro layers of different densities is proposed. Lastly, results show that this new engineered approach is a valid alternative, guaranteeing a low energy spread with a higher level of controllability.« less

Alfvén Turbulence Driven by High-Dimensional Interior Crisis in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chian, A. C.-L.; Rempel, E. L.; Macau, E. E. N.; Rosa, R. R.; Christiansen, F.

2003-09-01

Alfvén intermittent turbulence has been observed in the solar wind. It has been previously shown that the interplanetary Alfvén intermittent turbulence can appear due to a low-dimensional temporal chaos [1]. In this paper, we study the nonlinear spatiotemporal dynamics of Alfvén waves governed by the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation which describes the phase evolution of a large-amplitude Alfvén wave. We investigate the Alfvén turbulence driven by a high-dimensional interior crisis, which is a global bifurcation caused by the collision of a chaotic attractor with an unstable periodic orbit. This nonlinear phenomenon is analyzed using the numerical solutions of the model equation. The identification of the unstable periodic orbits and their invariant manifolds is fundamental for understanding the instability, chaos and turbulence in complex systems such as the solar wind plasma. The high-dimensional dynamical system approach to space environment turbulence developed in this paper can improve our interpretation of the origin and the nature of Alfvén turbulence observed in the solar wind.

Diffuse Interplanetary Radio Emission (DIRE) Accompanying Type II Radio Bursts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teklu, T. B.; Gopalswamy, N.; Makela, P. A.; Yashiro, S.; Akiyama, S.; Xie, H.

2015-12-01

We report on an unusual drifting feature in the radio dynamic spectra at frequencies below 14 MHz observed by the Radio and Plasma Wave (WAVES) experiment on board the Wind spacecraft. We call this feature as "Diffuse Interplanetary Radio Emission (DIRE)". The DIRE events are generally associated with intense interplanetary type II radio bursts produced by shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs). DIREs drift like type II bursts in the dynamic spectra, but the drifting feature consist of a series of short-duration spikes (similar to a type I chain). DIREs occur at higher frequencies than the associated type II bursts, with no harmonic relationship with the type II burst. The onset of DIREs is delayed by several hours from the onset of the eruption. Comparing the radio dynamic spectra with white-light observations from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission, we find that the CMEs are generally very energetic (fast and mostly halos). We suggest that the DIRE source is typically located at the flanks of the CME-driven shock that is still at lower heliocentric distances.

Upper hybrid wave excitation due to O-mode interaction with density gradient in the ionosphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Antani, S.N.; Kaup, D.J.; Rao, N.N.

1995-12-31

It has been well recognized that upper hybrid (UH) waves play a key role in various wave processes occurring in the upper hybrid resonance (UHR) region of the ionosphere leading to the observed stimulated electromagnetic emissions (SEE) during artificial heating by ordinary mode (O-mode) electromagnetic waves. Hence it is important to investigate how the UH waves get excited from the incident O-mode. It has been generally suggested that the UH waves are excited by O-mode interaction with nonuniform ionospheric plasma. For instance, direct conversion of the O-mode into UH waves due to pre-existing short scale irregularities was reported earlier. Heremore » the authors consider the role of large-scale, smooth density gradient in exciting the UH waves from the O-mode. The model used is that of a driven harmonic oscillator in which the source term arises from the O-mode interaction with local density gradient. For a slab model with density gradient in the x-direction, and the geomagnetic field in the z-direction, they obtain an inhomogeneous fourth order ordinary differential equation governing the UH wave excitation. This equation has been analyzed in the vicinity of the UHR. The pertinent solutions will be presented and discussed for the typical parameters of heating experiments.« less

ULF waves in the Martian foreshock: MAVEN observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shan, Lican; Mazelle, Christian; Meziane, Karim; Ruhunusiri, Suranga; Espley, Jared; Halekas, Jasper; Connerney, Jack; McFadden, Jim; Mitchell, Dave; Larson, Davin; Brain, Dave; Jakosky, Bruce; Ge, Yasong; Du, Aimin

2016-04-01

Foreshock ULF waves constitute a significant physical phenomenon of the plasma environment for terrestrial planets. The occurrence of these ULF waves, associated with backstreaming ions reflected and accelerated at the bow shock, implies specific conditions and properties of the shock and its foreshock. Using measurements from MAVEN, we report clear observations of this type of ULF waves in the Martian foreshock. We show from different case studies that the peak frequency of the wave case in spacecraft frame is too far from the local ion cyclotron frequency to be associated with local pickup ions taking into account the Doppler shifted frequency from a cyclotron resonance, the obliquity of the mode, resonance broadening and experimental uncertainties. On the opposite their properties fit very well with foreshock waves driven unstable by backtreaming field-aligned ion beams. The propagation angle is usually less than 30 degrees from ambient magnetic field. The waves also display elliptical and left-hand polarizations with respect to interplanetary magnetic field in the spacecraft frame. It is clear for these cases that foreshock ions are simultaneous present for the ULF wave interval. Such observation is important in order to discriminate with the already well-reported pickup ion (protons) waves associated with exospheric hydrogen in order to quantitatively use the later to study seasonal variations of the hydrogen corona.

Propagation characteristics of two-color laser pulses in homogeneous plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hemlata,; Saroch, Akanksha; Jha, Pallavi

2015-11-15

An analytical and numerical study of the evolution of two-color, sinusoidal laser pulses in cold, underdense, and homogeneous plasma has been presented. The wave equations for the radiation fields driven by linear as well as nonlinear contributions due to the two-color laser pulses have been set up. A variational technique is used to obtain the simultaneous equations describing the evolution of the laser spot size, pulse length, and chirp parameter. Numerical methods are used to graphically analyze the simultaneous evolution of these parameters due to the combined effect of the two-color laser pulses. Further, the pulse parameters are compared withmore » those obtained for a single laser pulse. Significant focusing, compression, and enhanced positive chirp is obtained due to the combined effect of simultaneously propagating two-color pulses as compared to a single pulse propagating in plasma.« less

Comment on “In-depth Plasma-Wave Heating of Dense Plasma Irradiated by Short Laser Pulses”

DOE PAGES

Kemp, A. J.; Sentoku, Y.

2016-04-14

Sherlock et al. have reported on the heating of solid density targets by collisional damping of wakefields that are driven by relativistic electron bunches generated in relativistic laser matter interaction. Analyzing collisional particle-in-cell simulations they calculate the fast electron current jf inside the plasma by adding contributions from electrons with energies greater than E cut = 50 keV; time-integrating the specific resistive energy deposition η j2f they arrive at a temperature profile and compare the result to the one 'measured' in their simulation, defined as the energy of particles with E < 30 keV; the discrepancy is due to collisionalmore » damping of wake fields (CDW). Here, we disagree with their metric of fast current, which leads to false conclusions about CDW heating being a volumetric, rather than surface effect.« less

Generation of Plasma Density Irregularities in the Midlatitude/Subauroral F Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishin, E. V.

2017-12-01

A concise review is given of the current state of the theoretical understanding of the creation of small- and meso-scale plasma density irregularities in the midlatitude/subauroral F region during quiet and disturbed periods. The former are discussed in terms of the temperature gradient instability (TGI) in the vicinity of the ionospheric projection of the plasmapause and the Perkins instability. During active conditions some part of the midlatitude ionosphere becomes the subauroral region dominated by enhanced westward flows (SAPS and SAID) driven by poleward electric fields. Their irregular, often nonlinear wave structure leads to the formation of plasma density irregularities in the plasmasphere and conjugate ionosphere. Here, meso-scale irregularities are due to the positive feedback magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling instability, while small scales resulted from the gradient drift instability (GDI), temperature GDI, and the ion frictional heating instability. The theoretical predictions are compared with satellite observations in the perturbed subauroral geospace.

General Relativistic Simulations of Magnetized Plasmas Around Merging Supermassive Black Holes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Giacomazzo, Bruno; Baker, John G.; Miller, M. Coleman; Reynolds, Christopher S.; van Meter, James R.

2012-01-01

Coalescing supermassive black hole binaries are produced by the mergers of galaxies and are the most powerful sources of gravitational waves accessible to space-based gravitational observatories. Some such mergers may occur in the presence of matter and magnetic fields and hence generate an electromagnetic counterpart. In this paper we present the first general relativistic simulations of magnetized plasma around merging supermassive black holes using the general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic code Whisky. By considering different magnetic field strengths, going from non-magnetically dominated to magnetically dominated regimes, we explore how magnetic fields affect the dynamics of the plasma and the possible emission of electromagnetic signals. In particular we observe, total amplification of the magnetic field of approx 2 orders of magnitude which is driven by the accretion onto the binary and that leads to stronger electromagnetic signals than in the force-free regime where such amplifications are not possible.

Plasma antennas driven by 5–20 kHz AC power supply

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Jiansen, E-mail: 67093058@qq.com; Chen, Yuli; Sun, Yang

2015-12-15

The experiments described in this work were performed with the aim of introducing a new plasma antenna that was excited by a 5–20 kHz alternating current (AC) power supply, where the antenna was transformed into a U-shape. The results show that the impedance, voltage standing-wave ratio (VSWR), radiation pattern and gain characteristics of the antenna can be controlled rapidly by varying not only the discharge power, but also by varying the discharge frequency in the range from 5 to 20 kHz. When the discharge frequency is adjusted from 10 to 12 kHz, the gain is higher within a relatively broadmore » frequency band and the switch-on time is less than 1 ms when the discharge power is less than 5 W, meaning that the plasma antenna can be turned on and off rapidly.« less

Multipoint study of interplanetary shocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanco-Cano, Xochitl; Kajdic, Primoz; Russell, Christopher T.; Aguilar-Rodriguez, Ernesto; Jian, Lan K.; Luhmann, Janet G.

2016-04-01

Interplanetary (IP) shocks are driven in the heliosphere by Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs) and Stream Interaction Regions (SIRs). These shocks perturb the solar wind plasma, and play an active role in the acceleration of ions to suprathermal energies. Shock fronts evolve as they move from the Sun. Their surfaces can be far from uniform and be modulated by changes in the ambient solar wind (magnetic field orientation, flow velocity), shocks rippling, and perturbations upstream and downstream from the shocks, i.e., electromagnetic waves. In this work we use multipoint observations from STEREO, WIND, and MESSENGER missions to study shock characteristics at different helio-longitudes and determine the properties of the waves near them. We also determine shock longitudinal extensions and foreshock sizes. The variations of geometry along the shock surface can result in different extensions of the wave and ion foreshocks ahead of the shocks, and in different wave modes upstream and downtream of the shocks. We find that the ion foreshock can extend up to 0.2 AU ahead of the shock, and that the upstream region with modified solar wind/waves can be very asymmetric.

Electrodynamics of ionospheric weather over low latitudes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdu, Mangalathayil Ali

2016-12-01

The dynamic state of the ionosphere at low latitudes is largely controlled by electric fields originating from dynamo actions by atmospheric waves propagating from below and the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction from above. These electric fields cause structuring of the ionosphere in wide ranging spatial and temporal scales that impact on space-based communication and navigation systems constituting an important segment of our technology-based day-to-day lives. The largest of the ionosphere structures, the equatorial ionization anomaly, with global maximum of plasma densities can cause propagation delays on the GNSS signals. The sunset electrodynamics is responsible for the generation of plasma bubble wide spectrum irregularities that can cause scintillation or even disruptions of satellite communication/navigation signals. Driven basically by upward propagating tides, these electric fields can suffer significant modulations from perturbation winds due to gravity waves, planetary/Kelvin waves, and non-migrating tides, as recent observational and modeling results have demonstrated. The changing state of the plasma distribution arising from these highly variable electric fields constitutes an important component of the ionospheric weather disturbances. Another, often dominating, component arises from solar disturbances when coronal mass ejection (CME) interaction with the earth's magnetosphere results in energy transport to low latitudes in the form of storm time prompt penetration electric fields and thermospheric disturbance winds. As a result, drastic modifications can occur in the form of layer restructuring (Es-, F3 layers etc.), large total electron content (TEC) enhancements, equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) latitudinal expansion/contraction, anomalous polarization electric fields/vertical drifts, enhanced growth/suppression of plasma structuring, etc. A brief review of our current understanding of the ionospheric weather variations and the electrodynamic processes underlying them and some outstanding questions will be presented in this paper.

Nonlinear cross-field coupling on the route to broadband turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brandt, Christian; Thakur, Saikat C.; Cui, Lang; Gosselin, Jordan J.; Negrete, Jose, Jr.; Holland, Chris; Tynan, George R.

2013-10-01

In the linear magnetized plasma device CSDX (Controlled Shear De-correlation eXperiment) drift interchange modes are studied coexisting on top of a weak turbulence driven azimuthally symmetric, radially sheared plasma flow. In helicon discharges (helicon antenna diameter 15 cm) with increasing magnetic field (B <= 0 . 24 T) the system can be driven to fully developed broadband turbulence. Fast imaging using a refractive telescope setup is applied to study the dynamics in the azimuthal-radial cross-section. The image data is supported by Langmuir probe measurements. In the present study we examine the development of nonlinear transfer as the fully developed turbulence emerges. Nonlinear cross-field coupling between eigenmodes at different radial positions is investigated using Fourier decomposition of azimuthal eigenmodes. The coupling strength between waves at different radial positions is inferred to radial profiles and cross-field transport between adjacent magnetic flux surfaces. Nonlinear effects like synchronization, phase slippages, phase pulling and periodic pulling are observed. The effects of mode coupling and the stability of modes is compared to the dynamics of a coupled chain of Kuramoto oscillators.

Application of Plasma Waveguides to High Energy Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Milchberg, Howard M

2013-03-30

The eventual success of laser-plasma based acceleration schemes for high-energy particle physics will require the focusing and stable guiding of short intense laser pulses in reproducible plasma channels. For this goal to be realized, many scientific issues need to be addressed. These issues include an understanding of the basic physics of, and an exploration of various schemes for, plasma channel formation. In addition, the coupling of intense laser pulses to these channels and the stable propagation of pulses in the channels require study. Finally, new theoretical and computational tools need to be developed to aid in the design and analysismore » of experiments and future accelerators. Here we propose a 3-year renewal of our combined theoretical and experimental program on the applications of plasma waveguides to high-energy accelerators. During the past grant period we have made a number of significant advances in the science of laser-plasma based acceleration. We pioneered the development of clustered gases as a new highly efficient medium for plasma channel formation. Our contributions here include theoretical and experimental studies of the physics of cluster ionization, heating, explosion, and channel formation. We have demonstrated for the first time the generation of and guiding in a corrugated plasma waveguide. The fine structure demonstrated in these guides is only possible with cluster jet heating by lasers. The corrugated guide is a slow wave structure operable at arbitrarily high laser intensities, allowing direct laser acceleration, a process we have explored in detail with simulations. The development of these guides opens the possibility of direct laser acceleration, a true miniature analogue of the SLAC RF-based accelerator. Our theoretical studies during this period have also contributed to the further development of the simulation codes, Wake and QuickPIC, which can be used for both laser driven and beam driven plasma based acceleration schemes. We will continue our development of advanced simulation tools by modifying the QuickPIC algorithm to allow for the simulation of plasma particle pick-up by the wake fields. We have also performed extensive simulations of plasma slow wave structures for efficient THz generation by guided laser beams or accelerated electron beams. We will pursue experimental studies of direct laser acceleration, and THz generation by two methods, ponderomotive-induced THz polarization, and THz radiation by laser accelerated electron beams. We also plan to study both conventional and corrugated plasma channels using our new 30 TW in our new lab facilities. We will investigate production of very long hydrogen plasma waveguides (5 cm). We will study guiding at increasing power levels through the onset of laser-induced cavitation (bubble regime) to assess the role played by the preformed channel. Experiments in direct acceleration will be performed, using laser plasma wakefields as the electron injector. Finally, we will use 2-colour ionization of gases as a high frequency THz source (<60 THz) in order for femtosecond measurements of low plasma densities in waveguides and beams.« less

Heating by transverse waves in simulated coronal loops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karampelas, K.; Van Doorsselaere, T.; Antolin, P.

2017-08-01

Context. Recent numerical studies of oscillating flux tubes have established the significance of resonant absorption in the damping of propagating transverse oscillations in coronal loops. The nonlinear nature of the mechanism has been examined alongside the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, which is expected to manifest in the resonant layers at the edges of the flux tubes. While these two processes have been hypothesized to heat coronal loops through the dissipation of wave energy into smaller scales, the occurring mixing with the hotter surroundings can potentially hide this effect. Aims: We aim to study the effects of wave heating from driven and standing kink waves in a coronal loop. Methods: Using the MPI-AMRVAC code, we perform ideal, three dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulations of both (a) footpoint driven and (b) free standing oscillations in a straight coronal flux tube, in the presence of numerical resistivity. Results: We have observed the development of Kelvin-Helmholtz eddies at the loop boundary layer of all three models considered here, as well as an increase of the volume averaged temperature inside the loop. The main heating mechanism in our setups was Ohmic dissipation, as indicated by the higher values for the temperatures and current densities located near the footpoints. The introduction of a temperature gradient between the inner tube and the surrounding plasma, suggests that the mixing of the two regions, in the case of hotter environment, greatly increases the temperature of the tube at the site of the strongest turbulence, beyond the contribution of the aforementioned wave heating mechanism. Three movies associated to Fig. 1 are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

A Model for Dissipation of Solar Wind Magnetic Turbulence by Kinetic Alfvén Waves at Electron Scales: Comparison with Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schreiner, Anne; Saur, Joachim

2017-02-01

In hydrodynamic turbulence, it is well established that the length of the dissipation scale depends on the energy cascade rate, I.e., the larger the energy input rate per unit mass, the more the turbulent fluctuations need to be driven to increasingly smaller scales to dissipate the larger energy flux. Observations of magnetic spectral energy densities indicate that this intuitive picture is not valid in solar wind turbulence. Dissipation seems to set in at the same length scale for different solar wind conditions independently of the energy flux. To investigate this difference in more detail, we present an analytic dissipation model for solar wind turbulence at electron scales, which we compare with observed spectral densities. Our model combines the energy transport from large to small scales and collisionless damping, which removes energy from the magnetic fluctuations in the kinetic regime. We assume wave-particle interactions of kinetic Alfvén waves (KAWs) to be the main damping process. Wave frequencies and damping rates of KAWs are obtained from the hot plasma dispersion relation. Our model assumes a critically balanced turbulence, where larger energy cascade rates excite larger parallel wavenumbers for a certain perpendicular wavenumber. If the dissipation is additionally wave driven such that the dissipation rate is proportional to the parallel wavenumber—as with KAWs—then an increase of the energy cascade rate is counterbalanced by an increased dissipation rate for the same perpendicular wavenumber, leading to a dissipation length independent of the energy cascade rate.

Observation of helicon wave with m = 0 antenna in a weakly magnetized inductively coupled plasma source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellingboe, Bert; Sirse, Nishant; Moloney, Rachel; McCarthy, John

2015-09-01

Bounded whistler wave, called ``helicon wave,'' is known to produce high-density plasmas and has been exploited as a high density plasma source for many applications, including electric propulsion for spacecraft. In a helicon plasma source, an antenna wrapped around the magnetized plasma column launches a low frequency wave, ωce/2 >ωhelicon >ωce/100, in the plasma which is responsible for maintaining high density plasma. Several antenna designs have been proposed in order to match efficiently the wave modes. In our experiment, helicon wave mode is observed using an m = 0 antenna. A floating B dot probe, compensated to the capacitively coupled E field, is employed to measure axial-wave-field-profiles (z, r, and θ components) in the plasma at multiple radial positions as a function of rf power and pressure. The Bθ component of the rf-field is observed to be unaffected as the wave propagates in the axial direction. Power coupling between the antenna and the plasma column is identified and agrees with the E, H, and wave coupling regimes previously seen in M =1 antenna systems. That is, the Bz component of the rf-field is observed at low plasma density as the Bz component from the antenna penetrates the plasma. The Bz component becomes very small at medium density due to shielding at the centre of the plasma column; however, with increasing density, a sudden ``jump'' occurs in the Bz component above which a standing wave under the antenna with a propagating wave away from the antenna are observed.

Low-Frequency Waves in Space Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keiling, Andreas; Lee, Dong-Hun; Nakariakov, Valery

2016-02-01

Low-frequency waves in space plasmas have been studied for several decades, and our knowledge gain has been incremental with several paradigm-changing leaps forward. In our solar system, such waves occur in the ionospheres and magnetospheres of planets, and around our Moon. They occur in the solar wind, and more recently, they have been confirmed in the Sun's atmosphere as well. The goal of wave research is to understand their generation, their propagation, and their interaction with the surrounding plasma. Low-frequency Waves in Space Plasmas presents a concise and authoritative up-to-date look on where wave research stands: What have we learned in the last decade? What are unanswered questions? While in the past waves in different astrophysical plasmas have been largely treated in separate books, the unique feature of this monograph is that it covers waves in many plasma regions, including: Waves in geospace, including ionosphere and magnetosphere Waves in planetary magnetospheres Waves at the Moon Waves in the solar wind Waves in the solar atmosphere Because of the breadth of topics covered, this volume should appeal to a broad community of space scientists and students, and it should also be of interest to astronomers/astrophysicists who are studying space plasmas beyond our Solar System.

Fluid-kinetic simulations of the passage of Storm Enhanced Density (SED) plasma flux tubes through the dayside cleft auroral processes region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, W.; Horwitz, J. L.

2007-12-01

Foster et al. [2002] and others have reported on elevated ionospheric density regions being convected from the subauroral plasmaspheric region toward noon, in association with convection of plasmaspheric tails in the dayside magnetosphere. It has been suggested that these so-called Storm Enhanced Density (SED) regions could serve as ionospheric plasma source populations for cleft ion fountain outflows. To investigate this scenario, we have used our Dynamic Fluid Kinetic (DyFK) model to simulate the entry of a high-density "plasmasphere-like" flux tube entering the cleft region and subjected to an episode of wave-driven transverse ion heating. We find that the O+ ion density at higher altitudes increases and the density at lower altitudes decreases, following this heating episode, indicating increased numbers of O+ ions from the ionospheric source gain sufficient energy to reach higher altitudes after the effects of transverse wave heating. We also find that O+- H+ crossing point in topside ionosphere moves upward as the wave heating continues. Foster, J. C., P. J. Erickson, A. J. Coster, J. Goldstein, and F. J. Rich, Ionospheric signatures of plasmaspheric tails, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(13), 1623, doi:10.1029/2002GL015067, 2002.

Relationship between directions of wave and energy propagation for cold plasma waves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Musielak, Zdzislaw E.

1986-01-01

The dispersion relation for plasma waves is considered in the 'cold' plasma approximation. General formulas for the dependence of the phase and group velocities on the direction of wave propagation with respect to the local magnetic field are obtained for a cold magnetized plasma. The principal cold plasma resonances and cut-off frequencies are defined for an arbitrary angle and are used to establish basic regimes of frequency where the cold plasma waves can propagate or can be evanescent. The relationship between direction of wave and energy propagation, for cold plasma waves in hydrogen atmosphere, is presented in the form of angle diagrams (angle between group velocity and magnetic field versus angle between phase velocity and magnetic field) and polar diagrams (also referred to as 'Friedrich's diagrams') for different directions of wave propagation. Morphological features of the diagrams as well as some critical angles of propagation are discussed.

Experiments on the Expansion of a Dense Plasma into a Background Magnetoplasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gekelman, Walter; Vanzeeland, Mike; Vincena, Steve; Pribyl, Pat

2003-10-01

There are many situations, which occur in space (coronal mass ejections, or are man-made (upper atmospheric detonations) as well as the initial stages of a supernovae, in which a dense plasma expands into a background magnetized plasma, that can support Alfvèn waves. The upgraded LArge Plasma Device (LAPD) is a machine, at UCLA, in which Alfvèn wave propagation in homogeneous and inhomogeneous plasmas has been studied. We describe a series of experiments,which involve the expansion of a dense (initially, n_laser-plasma/n_0≫1) laser-produced plasma into an ambient highly magnetized background plasma capable of supporting Alfvèn waves will be presented. The 150 MW laser is pulsed at the same 1 Hz repetition rate as the plasma in a highly reproducible experiment. The interaction results in the production of intense shear Alfvèn waves, as well as large density perturbations. The waves propagate away from the target and are observed to become plasma column resonances. In the initial phase the background magnetic field is expelled from a plasma bubble. Currents in the main body of the plasma are generated to neutralize the positively charged bubble. The current system which results, becomes that of a spectrum of shear Alfvèn waves. Spatial patterns of the wave magnetic fields waves are measured at over 10^4 locations. As the dense plasma expands across the magnetic field it seeds the column with shear waves. Most of the Alfvèn wave energy is in shear waves, which become field line resonances after a machine transit time. The interplay between waves, currents, inductive electric fields and space charge is analyzed in great detail. Dramatic movies of the measured wave fields and their associated currents will be presented. Work supported by ONR, and DOE /NSF.

In situ Observations of Magnetosonic Waves Modulated by Background Plasma Density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, X.; Yuan, Z.; Huang, S.; Wang, D.; Funsten, H. O.

2017-12-01

We report in situ observations by the Van Allen Probe mission that magnetosonic (MS) waves are clearly relevant to appear relevant to the background plasma number density. As the satellite moved across dense and tenuous plasma alternatively, MS waves occurred only in lower density region. As the observed protons with 'ring' distributions provide free energy, local linear growth rates are calculated and show that magnetosonic waves can be locally excited in tenuous plasma. With variations of the background plasma density, the temporal variations of local wave growth rates calculated with the observed proton ring distributions, show a remarkable agreement with those of the observed wave amplitude. Therefore, the paper provides a direct proof that background plasma densities can modulate the amplitudes of magnetosonic waves through controlling the wave growth rates.

Calculation of the gain of a self-launched high-density free-electron laser by using a newly confirmed law stated as the impossibility of free-electron net stimulated radiation and modal analysis based on plasma hydrodynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S. H.

2017-05-01

We reason based on the concept of stationary plasma fluctuation that in the free-electron laser (FEL), the Coulomb force from the surrounding electrons and the Ampérian force arising from the beam current do not disrupt the density-deviation mode driven by the laser field in cooperation with the magnetic wiggler. We adopt the synchronization principle that in the state of a stationary plasma density-wave and laser wave, all electrons arriving at the same position can emit laser photons all together only at t = NT + t o , where N is an integer and T is the laser period. We find that in the FEL, the incident laser radiation acts as a dummy field in net stimulated radiation. Using these findings and noticing a previously-recognized concept that the radiation power from an electron is given by Δ E/T, where Δ E is the amplitude of the net work done by the electron during T [1], we derive the laser gain of a self-launched FEL. The thusly derived gain is in excellent agreement with the measured gain.

Coherent Structures in Magnetic Confinement Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horton, W.

2006-04-01

Coherent structures are long-lived, nonlinear localized solutions of the selfconsistient plasma-electromagnetic field equations. They contain appreciable energy density and control various transport and magnetic reconnection processes in plasmas. These structures are self-binding from the nonlinearity balancing, or overcoming, the wave dispersion of energy in smaller amplitude structures. The structures evolve out of the nonlinear interactions in various instabilities or external driving fields. The theoretical basis for these structures are reviewed giving examples from various plasma instabilities and their reduced descriptions from the appropriate partial differential equations. A classic example from drift waves is the formation of monopole, dipole and tripolar vortex structures which have been created in both laboratory and simulation experiments. For vortices, the long life-time and nonlinear interactions of the structures can be understood with conservation laws of angular momentum given by the vorticity field associated with dynamics. Other morphologies include mushrooms, Kelvin-Helmholtz vorticity roll-up, streamers and blobs. We show simulation movies of various examples drawn from ETG modes in NSTX, H-mode like shear flow layers in LAPD and the vortices measured with soft x-ray tomography in the GAMMA 10 tandem mirror. Coherent current-sheet structures form in driven magnetic reconnection layers and control the rate of transformation of magnetic energy to flow and thermal energy.

Cells exposed to nanosecond electrical pulses exhibit biomarkers of mechanical stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Caleb C.; Barnes, Ronald A.; Ibey, Bennett L.; Beier, Hope T.; Moen, Erick K.; Glickman, Randolph D.

2015-03-01

Exposure of cells to very short (<1 μs) electric pulses in the megavolt/meter range have been shown to cause disruption of the plasma membrane. This disruption is often characterized by the formation of numerous small pores (<2 nm in diameter) in the plasma membrane that last for several minutes, allowing the flow of ions into the cell. These small pores are called nanopores and the resulting damage to the plasma membrane is referred to as nanoporation. Nanosecond electrical pulse (nsEP) exposure can impart many different stressors on a cell, including electrical, electro-chemical, and mechanical stress. Thus, nsEP exposure is not a "clean" insult, making determination of the mechanism of nanoporation quite difficult. We hypothesize that nsEP exposure creates acoustic shock waves capable of causing nanoporation. Microarray analysis of primary adult human dermal fibroblasts (HDFa) exposed to nsEP, indicated several genes associated with mechanical stress were selectively upregulated 4 h post exposure. The idea that nanoporation is caused by external mechanical force from acoustic shock waves has, to our knowledge, not been investigated. This work will critically challenge the existing paradigm that nanoporation is caused solely by an electric-field driven event and could provide the basis for a plausible explanation for electroporation.

Propagation of electromagnetic waves in a weak collisional and fully ionized dusty plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jia, Jieshu; Yuan, Chengxun, E-mail: yuancx@hit.edu.cn; Gao, Ruilin

2016-04-15

The propagation properties of electromagnetic (EM) waves in fully ionized dusty plasmas is the subject of this study. The dielectric relationships for EM waves propagating in a fully ionized dusty plasma was derived from the Boltzmann distribution law, taking into consideration the collision and charging effects of the dust grains. The propagation properties of the EM waves in a dusty plasma were numerically calculated and studied. The study results indicated that the dusty grains with an increased radius and charge were more likely to impede the penetration of EM waves. Dust grains with large radii and high charge cause themore » attenuation of the EM wave in the dusty plasma. The different density of the dust in the plasma appeared to have no obvious effect on the transmission of the EM waves. The propagation of the EM waves in a weakly ionized dusty plasma varies from that in a fully ionized dusty plasma. The results are helpful to analyze the effects of dust in dusty plasmas and also provide a theoretical basis for future studies.« less

Ultraviolet surprise: Efficient soft x-ray high-harmonic generation in multiply ionized plasmas.

PubMed

Popmintchev, Dimitar; Hernández-García, Carlos; Dollar, Franklin; Mancuso, Christopher; Pérez-Hernández, Jose A; Chen, Ming-Chang; Hankla, Amelia; Gao, Xiaohui; Shim, Bonggu; Gaeta, Alexander L; Tarazkar, Maryam; Romanov, Dmitri A; Levis, Robert J; Gaffney, Jim A; Foord, Mark; Libby, Stephen B; Jaron-Becker, Agnieszka; Becker, Andreas; Plaja, Luis; Murnane, Margaret M; Kapteyn, Henry C; Popmintchev, Tenio

2015-12-04

High-harmonic generation is a universal response of matter to strong femtosecond laser fields, coherently upconverting light to much shorter wavelengths. Optimizing the conversion of laser light into soft x-rays typically demands a trade-off between two competing factors. Because of reduced quantum diffusion of the radiating electron wave function, the emission from each species is highest when a short-wavelength ultraviolet driving laser is used. However, phase matching--the constructive addition of x-ray waves from a large number of atoms--favors longer-wavelength mid-infrared lasers. We identified a regime of high-harmonic generation driven by 40-cycle ultraviolet lasers in waveguides that can generate bright beams in the soft x-ray region of the spectrum, up to photon energies of 280 electron volts. Surprisingly, the high ultraviolet refractive indices of both neutral atoms and ions enabled effective phase matching, even in a multiply ionized plasma. We observed harmonics with very narrow linewidths, while calculations show that the x-rays emerge as nearly time-bandwidth-limited pulse trains of ~100 attoseconds. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Ultraviolet Surprise. Efficient Soft X-Ray High Harmonic Generation in Multiply-Ionized Plasmas

DOE PAGES

Popmintchev, Dimitar; Hernandez-Garcia, Carlos; Dollar, Franklin; ...

2015-12-04

High-harmonic generation is a universal response of matter to strong femtosecond laser fields, coherently upconverting light to much shorter wavelengths. Optimizing the conversion of laser light into soft x-rays typically demands a trade-off between two competing factors. Reduced quantum diffusion of the radiating electron wave function results in emission from each species which is highest when a short-wavelength ultraviolet driving laser is used. But, phase matching—the constructive addition of x-ray waves from a large number of atoms—favors longer-wavelength mid-infrared lasers. We identified a regime of high-harmonic generation driven by 40-cycle ultraviolet lasers in waveguides that can generate bright beams inmore » the soft x-ray region of the spectrum, up to photon energies of 280 electron volts. Surprisingly, the high ultraviolet refractive indices of both neutral atoms and ions enabled effective phase matching, even in a multiply ionized plasma. We observed harmonics with very narrow linewidths, while calculations show that the x-rays emerge as nearly time-bandwidth–limited pulse trains of ~100 attoseconds.« less

Unconditionally marginal stability of harmonic electron hole equilibria in current-driven plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schamel, Hans

2018-06-01

Two forms of the linearized eigenvalue problem with respect to linear perturbations of a privileged cnoidal electron hole as a structural nonlinear equilibrium element are established. Whereas its integral form involves integrations along the characteristics or unperturbed particle orbits, the differential form has to cope with a differential operator of infinite order. Both are hence faced with difficulties to obtain a solution. A first successful attempt is, however, made by addressing a single harmonic wave as a nonlinear equilibrium structure. By this microscopic nonlinear approach, its marginal stability against linear perturbations in both linear stability regimes, the sub- and super-critical one, is shown independent of the mobility of ions and in favor with recent observations. Responsible for vanishing damping (growth) is the microscopic distortion of the resonant distribution function. The macroscopic form of the trapping nonlinearity—the 3/2 power term of the electrostatic potential in the density—which disappears in the monochromatic harmonic wave limit is consequently necessary for the occurrence of a nonlinear plasma instability in the sub-critical regime.

Flux-driven algebraic damping of m = 1 diocotron mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chim, Chi Yung; O'Neil, Thomas M.

2016-07-01

Recent experiments with pure electron plasmas in a Malmberg-Penning trap have observed the algebraic damping of m = 1 diocotron modes. Transport due to small field asymmetries produces a low density halo of electrons moving radially outward from the plasma core, and the mode damping begins when the halo reaches the resonant radius r = Rw at the wall of the trap. The damping rate is proportional to the flux of halo particles through the resonant layer. The damping is related to, but distinct from, spatial Landau damping, in which a linear wave-particle resonance produces exponential damping. This paper explains with analytic theory the new algebraic damping due to particle transport by both mobility and diffusion. As electrons are swept around the "cat's eye" orbits of the resonant wave-particle interaction, they form a dipole (m = 1) density distribution. From this distribution, the electric field component perpendicular to the core displacement produces E × B-drift of the core back to the axis, that is, damps the m = 1 mode. The parallel component produces drift in the azimuthal direction, that is, causes a shift in the mode frequency.

Lightning and plasma wave observations from the galileo flyby of venus.

PubMed

Gurnett, D A; Kurth, W S; Roux, A; Gendrin, R; Kennel, C F; Bolton, S J

1991-09-27

During the Galileo flyby of Venus the plasma wave instrument was used to search for impulsive radio signals from lightning and to investigate locally generated plasma waves. A total of nine events were detected in the frequency range from 100 kilohertz to 5.6 megahertz. Although the signals are weak, lightning is the only known source of these signals. Near the bow shock two types of locally generated plasma waves were observed, low-frequency electromagnetic waves from about 5 to 50 hertz and electron plasma oscillation at about 45 kilohertz. The plasma oscillations have considerable fine structure, possibly because of the formation of soliton-like wave packets.

Lightning and plasma wave observations from the Galileo flyby of Venus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gurnett, D. A.; Kurth, W. S.; Roux, A.; Gendrin, R.; Kennel, C. F.; Bolton, S. J.

1991-01-01

Durig the Galileo flyby of Venus the plasma wave instrument was used to search for impulsive radio signals from lightning and to investigate locally generated plasma waves. A total of nine events were detected in the frequency range from 100 kilohertz to 5.6 megahertz. Although the signals are weak, lightning is the only known source of these signals. Near the bow shock two types of locally generated plasma waves were observed, low-frequency electromagnetic waves from about 5 to 50 hertz and electron plasma oscillation at about 45 kilohertz. The plasma oscillations have considerable fine structure, possibly because of the formation of soliton-like wave packets.

Relativistic electromagnetic waves in an electron-ion plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chian, Abraham C.-L.; Kennel, Charles F.

1987-01-01

High power laser beams can drive plasma particles to relativistic energies. An accurate description of strong waves requires the inclusion of ion dynamics in the analysis. The equations governing the propagation of relativistic electromagnetic waves in a cold electron-ion plasma can be reduced to two equations expressing conservation of energy-momentum of the system. The two conservation constants are functions of the plasma stream velocity, the wave velocity, the wave amplitude, and the electron-ion mass ratio. The dynamic parameter, expressing electron-ion momentum conversation in the laboratory frame, can be regarded as an adjustable quantity, a suitable choice of which will yield self-consistent solutions when other plasma parameters were specified. Circularly polarized electromagnetic waves and electrostatic plasma waves are used as illustrations.

Plasma Pancakes and Deep Cavities Generated by High Power Radio Waves from the Arecibo Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhardt, P. A.; Briczinski, S. J., Jr.; Zawdie, K.; Huba, J.; Siefring, C. L.; Sulzer, M. P.; Nossa, E.; Aponte, N.; Perillat, P.; Jackson-Booth, N.

2017-12-01

Breakdown of the neutral atmosphere at ionospheric altitudes can be achieved with high power HF waves that reflect on the bottomside of the ionosphere. For overdense heating (i.e., wave frequency < maximum plasma frequency in the F-layer), the largest electric fields in the plasma are found just below the reflection altitude. There, electromagnetic waves are converted into electron plasma (Langmir) waves and ion acoustic waves. These waves are measured by scattering of the 430 MHz radar at Arecibo to from an enhanced plasma line. The photo-electron excitation of Langmuir waves yields a weaker plasma-line profile that shows the complete electron profile with the radar. Once HF enhanced Langmuir waves are formed, they can accelerate the photo-electron population to sufficient energies for neutral breakdown and enhanced ionization inside the HF Radio Beam. Plasma pancakes are produced because the breakdown process continues to build up plasma on bottom of the breakdown clouds and recombination occurs on the older breakdown plasma at the top of these clouds. Thus, the plasma pancake falls with altitude from the initial HF wave reflection altitude near 250 km to about 160 km where ion-electron recombination prevents the plasma cloud from being sustained by the high power HF. Experiments in March 2017 have produced plasma pancakes with about 100 Mega-Watts effective radiated power 5.1 MHz with the Arecibo HF Facility. Observations using the 430 MHz radar show falling plasma pancakes that disappear at low altitudes and reform at the F-layer critical reflection altitude. Sometimes the periodic and regular falling motion of the plasma pancakes is influenced by Acoustic Gravity Waves (AGW) propagating through the modified HF region. A rising AGW can cause the plasma pancake to reside at nearly constant altitude for 10 to 20 minutes. Dense cavities are also produced by high power radio waves interacting with the F-Layer. These structures are observed with the Arecibo 430 MHz radar as intense bight-outs in the plasma profile. Multiple cavities are seen simultaneously.

Plasma wave observations at comet giacobini-zinner.

PubMed

Scarf, F L; Coroniti, F V; Kennel, C F; Gurnett, D A; Ip, W H; Smith, E J

1986-04-18

The plasma wave instrument on the International Cometary Explorer (ICE) detected bursts of strong ion acoustic waves almost continuously when the spacecraft was within 2 million kilometers of the nucleus of comet Giacobini-Zinner. Electromagnetic whistlers and low-level electron plasma oscillations were also observed in this vast region that appears to be associated with heavy ion pickup. As ICE came closer to the anticipated location of the bow shock, the electromagnetic and electrostatic wave levels increased significantly, but even in the midst of this turbulence the wave instrument detected structures with familiar bow shock characteristics that were well correlated with observations of localized electron heating phenomena. Just beyond the visible coma, broadband waves with amplitudes as high as any ever detected by the ICE plasma wave instrument were recorded. These waves may account for the significant electron heating observed in this region by the ICE plasma probe, and these observations of strong wave-particle interactions may provide answers to longstanding questions concerning ionization processes in the vicinity of the coma. Near closest approach, the plasma wave instrument detected broadband electrostatic noise and a changing pattern of weak electron plasma oscillations that yielded a density profile for the outer layers of the cold plasma tail. Near the tail axis the plasma wave instrument also detected a nonuniform flux of dust impacts, and a preliminary profile of the Giacobini-Zinner dust distribution for micrometer-sized particles is presented.

An Experiment on Repetitive Pulse Operation of Microwave Rocket

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oda, Yasuhisa; Shibata, Teppei; Komurasaki, Kimiya

2008-04-28

Microwave Rocket was operated with repetitive pulses. The microwave rocket model with forced breathing system was used. The pressure history in the thruster was measured and the thrust impulse was deduced. As a result, the impulse decreased at second pulse and impulses at latter pulses were constant. The dependence of the thrust performance on the partial filling rate of the thruster was compared to the thrust generation model based on the shock wave driven by microwave plasma. The experimental results showed good agreement to the predicted dependency.

Efficiency of wave-driven rigid body rotation toroidal confinement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rax, J. M.; Gueroult, R.; Fisch, N. J.

2017-03-01

The compensation of vertical drifts in toroidal magnetic fields through a wave-driven poloidal rotation is compared with compensation through the wave driven toroidal current generation to support the classical magnetic rotational transform. The advantages and drawbacks associated with the sustainment of a radial electric field are compared with those associated with the sustainment of a poloidal magnetic field both in terms of energy content and power dissipation. The energy content of a radial electric field is found to be smaller than the energy content of a poloidal magnetic field for a similar set of orbits. The wave driven radial electric field generation efficiency is similarly shown, at least in the limit of large aspect ratio, to be larger than the efficiency of wave-driven toroidal current generation.

Rayleigh-Taylor mixing with time-dependent acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abarzhi, Snezhana

2016-10-01

We extend the momentum model to describe Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) mixing driven by a time-dependent acceleration. The acceleration is a power-law function of time, similarly to astrophysical and plasma fusion applications. In RT flow the dynamics of a fluid parcel is driven by a balance per unit mass of the rates of momentum gain and loss. We find analytical solutions in the cases of balanced and imbalanced gains and losses, and identify their dependence on the acceleration exponent. The existence is shown of two typical regimes of self-similar RT mixing-acceleration-driven Rayleigh-Taylor-type and dissipation-driven Richtymer-Meshkov-type with the latter being in general non-universal. Possible scenarios are proposed for transitions from the balanced dynamics to the imbalanced self-similar dynamics. Scaling and correlations properties of RT mixing are studied on the basis of dimensional analysis. Departures are outlined of RT dynamics with time-dependent acceleration from canonical cases of homogeneous turbulence as well as blast waves with first and second kind self-similarity. The work is supported by the US National Science Foundation.

Rayleigh-Taylor mixing with space-dependent acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abarzhi, Snezhana

2016-11-01

We extend the momentum model to describe Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) mixing driven by a space-dependent acceleration. The acceleration is a power-law function of space coordinate, similarly to astrophysical and plasma fusion applications. In RT flow the dynamics of a fluid parcel is driven by a balance per unit mass of the rates of momentum gain and loss. We find analytical solutions in the cases of balanced and imbalanced gains and losses, and identify their dependence on the acceleration exponent. The existence is shown of two typical sub-regimes of self-similar RT mixing - the acceleration-driven Rayleigh-Taylor-type mixing and dissipation-driven Richtymer-Meshkov-type mixing with the latter being in general non-universal. Possible scenarios are proposed for transitions from the balanced dynamics to the imbalanced self-similar dynamics. Scaling and correlations properties of RT mixing are studied on the basis of dimensional analysis. Departures are outlined of RT dynamics with space-dependent acceleration from canonical cases of homogeneous turbulence as well as blast waves with first and second kind self-similarity. The work is supported by the US National Science Foundation.

Modeling RF Fields in Hot Plasmas with Parallel Full Wave Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, Andrew; Svidzinski, Vladimir; Zhao, Liangji; Galkin, Sergei; Kim, Jin-Soo

2016-10-01

FAR-TECH, Inc. is developing a suite of full wave RF plasma codes. It is based on a meshless formulation in configuration space with adapted cloud of computational points (CCP) capability and using the hot plasma conductivity kernel to model the nonlocal plasma dielectric response. The conductivity kernel is calculated by numerically integrating the linearized Vlasov equation along unperturbed particle trajectories. Work has been done on the following calculations: 1) the conductivity kernel in hot plasmas, 2) a monitor function based on analytic solutions of the cold-plasma dispersion relation, 3) an adaptive CCP based on the monitor function, 4) stencils to approximate the wave equations on the CCP, 5) the solution to the full wave equations in the cold-plasma model in tokamak geometry for ECRH and ICRH range of frequencies, and 6) the solution to the wave equations using the calculated hot plasma conductivity kernel. We will present results on using a meshless formulation on adaptive CCP to solve the wave equations and on implementing the non-local hot plasma dielectric response to the wave equations. The presentation will include numerical results of wave propagation and absorption in the cold and hot tokamak plasma RF models, using DIII-D geometry and plasma parameters. Work is supported by the U.S. DOE SBIR program.

Terahertz generation by beating two Langmuir waves in a warm and collisional plasma

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Xiao-Bo; Qiao, Xin; Cheng, Li-Hong

2015-09-15

Terahertz (THz) radiation generated by beating of two Langmuir waves in a warm and collisional plasma is discussed theoretically. The critical angle between the two Langmuir waves and the critical wave-length (wave vector) of Langmuir waves for generating THz radiation are obtained analytically. Furthermore, the maximum radiation energy is obtained. We find that the critical angle, the critical wave-length, and the generated radiation energy strongly depend on plasma temperature and wave-length of the Langmuir waves. That is, the THz radiation generated by beating of two Langmuir waves in a warm and collisional plasma can be controlled by adjusting the plasmamore » temperature and the Langmuir wave-length.« less

Magnetospheric radio and plasma wave research - 1987-1990

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kurth, W. S.

1991-01-01

This review covers research performed in the area of magnetospheric plasma waves and wave-particle interactions as well as magnetospheric radio emissions. The report focuses on the near-completion of the discovery phase of radio and plasma wave phenomena in the planetary magnetospheres with the successful completion of the Voyager 2 encounters of Neptune and Uranus. Consideration is given to the advances made in detailed studies and theoretical investigations of radio and plasma wave phenomena in the terrestrial magnetosphere or in magnetospheric plasmas in general.

Ion Acceleration by Flux Transfer Events in the Terrestrial Magnetosheath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jarvinen, R.; Vainio, R.; Palmroth, M.; Juusola, L.; Hoilijoki, S.; Pfau-Kempf, Y.; Ganse, U.; Turc, L.; von Alfthan, S.

2018-02-01

We report ion acceleration by flux transfer events in the terrestrial magnetosheath in a global two-dimensional hybrid-Vlasov polar plane simulation of Earth's solar wind interaction. In the model we find that propagating flux transfer events created in magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause drive fast-mode bow waves in the magnetosheath, which accelerate ions in the shocked solar wind flow. The acceleration at the bow waves is caused by a shock drift-like acceleration process under stationary solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field upstream conditions. Thus, the energization is not externally driven but results from plasma dynamics within the magnetosheath. Energetic proton populations reach the energy of 30 keV, and their velocity distributions resemble time-energy dispersive ion injections observed by the Cluster spacecraft in the magnetosheath.

Betatron x-ray radiation in the self-modulated wakefield acceleration regime (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albert, Felicie

2017-05-01

Betatron x-ray radiation, driven by electrons from laser-wakefield acceleration, has unique properties to probe high energy density (HED) plasmas and warm dense matter. Betatron radiation is produced when relativistic electrons oscillate in the plasma wake of a laser pulse. Its properties are similar to those of synchrotron radiation, with a 1000 fold shorter pulse. This presentation will focus on the experimental challenges and results related to the development of betatron radiation in the self modulated regime of laser wakefield acceleration. We observed multi keV Betatron x-rays from a self-modulated laser wakefield accelerator. The experiment was performed at the Jupiter Laser Facility, LLNL, by focusing the Titan short pulse beam (4-150 J, 1 ps) onto the edge of a Helium gas jet at electronic densities around 1019 cm-3. For the first time on this laser system, we used a long focal length optic, which produced a laser normalized potential a0 in the range 1-3. Under these conditions, electrons are accelerated by the plasma wave created in the wake of the light pulse. As a result, intense Raman satellites, which measured shifts depend on the electron plasma density, were observed on the laser spectrum transmitted through the target. Electrons with energies up to 200 MeV, as well as Betatron x-rays with critical energies around 20 keV, were measured. OSIRIS 2D PIC simulations confirm that the electrons gain energy both from the plasma wave and from their interaction with the laser field.

Collaborative Research: Tomographic imaging of laser-plasma structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Downer, Michael

The interaction of intense short laser pulses with ionized gases, or plasmas, underlies many applications such as acceleration of elementary particles, production of energy by laser fusion, generation of x-ray and far-infrared “terahertz” pulses for medical and materials probing, remote sensing of explosives and pollutants, and generation of guide stars. Such laser-plasma interactions create tiny electron density structures (analogous to the wake behind a boat) inside the plasma in the shape of waves, bubbles and filaments that move at the speed of light, and evolve as they propagate. Prior to recent work by the PI of this proposal, detailed knowledgemore » of such structures came exclusively from intensive computer simulations. Now “snapshots” of these elusive, light-velocity structures can be taken in the laboratory using dynamic variant of holography, the technique used to produce ID cards and DVDs, and dynamic variant of tomography, the technique used in medicine to image internal bodily organs. These fast visualization techniques are important for understanding, improving and scaling the above-mentioned applications of laser-plasma interactions. In this project, we accomplished three things: 1) We took holographic pictures of a laser-driven plasma-wave in the act of accelerating electrons to high energy, and used computer simulations to understand the pictures. 2) Using results from this experiment to optimize the performance of the accelerator, and the brightness of x-rays that it emits. These x-rays will be useful for medical and materials science applications. 3) We made technical improvements to the holographic technique that enables us to see finer details in the recorded pictures. Four refereed journal papers were published, and two students earned PhDs and moved on to scientific careers in US National Laboratories based on their work under this project.« less

Currents between tethered electrodes in a magnetized laboratory plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

1989-01-01

Laboratory experiments on important plasma physics issues of electrodynamic tethers were performed. These included current propagation, formation of wave wings, limits of current collection, nonlinear effects and instabilities, charging phenomena, and characteristics of transmission lines in plasmas. The experiments were conducted in a large afterglow plasma. The current system was established with a small electron-emitting hot cathode tethered to an electron-collecting anode, both movable across the magnetic field and energized by potential difference up to V approx.=100 T(sub e). The total current density in space and time was obtained from complete measurements of the perturbed magnetic field. The fast spacecraft motion was reproduced in the laboratory by moving the tethered electrodes in small increments, applying delayed current pulses, and reconstructing the net field by a linear superposition of locally emitted wavelets. With this technique, the small-amplitude dc current pattern is shown to form whistler wings at each electrode instead of the generally accepted Alfven wings. For the beam electrode, the whistler wing separates from the field-aligned beam which carries no net current. Large amplitude return currents to a stationary anode generate current-driven microinstabilities, parallel electric fields, ion depletions, current disruptions and time-varying electrode charging. At appropriately high potentials and neutral densities, excess neutrals are ionized near the anode. The anode sheath emits high-frequency electron transit-time oscillations at the sheath-plasma resonance. The beam generates Langmuir turbulence, ion sound turbulence, electron heating, space charge fields, and Hall currents. An insulated, perfectly conducting transmission line embedded in the plasma becomes lossy due to excitation of whistler waves and magnetic field diffusion effects. The implications of the laboratory observations on electrodynamic tethers in space are discussed.

Plasma Heating and Flow in an Auroral Arc

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moore, T. E.; Chandler, M. O.; Pollock, C. J.; Reasoner, D. L.; Arnoldy, R. L.; Austin, B.; Kintner, P. M.; Bonnell, J.

1996-01-01

We report direct observations of the three-dimensional velocity distribution of selected topside ionospheric ion species in an auroral context between 500 and 550 km altitude. We find heating transverse to the local magnetic field in the core plasma, with significant heating of 0(+), He(+), and H(+), as well as tail heating events that occur independently of the core heating. The 0(+) velocity distribution departs from bi-Maxwellian, at one point exhibiting an apparent ring-like shape. However, these observations are shown to be aliased within the auroral arc by temporal variations that arc not well-resolved by the core plasma instrument. The dc electric field measurements reveal superthermal plasma drifts that are consistent with passage of the payload through a series of vortex structures or a larger scale circularly polarized hydromagnetic wave structure within the auroral arc. The dc electric field also shows that impulsive solitary structures, with a frequency spectrum in the ion cyclotron frequency range, occur in close correlation with the tail heating events. The drift and core heating observations lend support to the idea that core ion heating is driven at low altitudes by rapid convective motions imposed by the magnetosphere. Plasma wave emissions at ion frequencies and parallel heating of the low-energy electron plasma are observed in conjunction with this auroral form; however, the conditions are much more complex than those typically invoked in previous theoretical treatments of superthermal frictional heating. The observed ion heating within the arc clearly exceeds that expected from frictional heating for the light ion species H(+) and He(+), and the core distributions also contain hot transverse tails, indicating an anomalous transverse heat source.

Cyclotron harmonic lines in the thermal magnetic fluctuation spectrum of spiraling electrons in plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenzel, R. L.; Golubyatnikov, G.

1993-10-01

Radio frequency (rf) magnetic fluctuations B˜ have been measured with loop antennas in a large pulsed discharge plasma column (ne≲1012 cm-3, kTe≲3 eV, B0≂20 G, Ar, 2×10-4 Torr, 1 m diam×2.5 m length). A 1/f-like noise spectrum is observed in the whistler wave regime (ωce1/2ωci1/2<ω<ωce) both in the Maxwellian afterglow plasma and in the active discharge which contains energetic (45 eV) electrons. Discrete emission lines at the electron cyclotron frequency and its harmonics are found only in the presence of spiraling energetic electrons. These are naturally present in the active discharge but have also been injected as a controlled oblique electron beam into the Maxwellian afterglow plasma. In the latter case up to 15 cyclotron harmonic lines with weak amplitude decay B˜z(ω) are generated in the beam flux tube. From two-point correlation measurements it is shown that the line spectrum is due to ballistic beam modes rather than plasma eigenmodes driven unstable by the beam. The lines evolve from broadband thermal current fluctuations of the beam through a filtering effect. Those fluctuations which rotate synchronously with the ordered cyclotron motion (ω=nωc) constructively interfere (k∥=0) and produce coherent solenoidal rf fields, while others interfere destructively. Axial and azimuthal phase velocity measurements for rf-modulated beams clearly demonstrate the filtering effect. In the present parameter regime (ωp≫ωc) the fluctuations are evanescent and localized near the electron flux tube (rc≳c/ωp). In low density plasmas the fluctuations may couple to propagating electromagnetic waves and be observable externally as in earlier observations by Landauer or Ikegami.

Progress on the development of FullWave, a Hot and Cold Plasma Parallel Full Wave Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spencer, J. Andrew; Svidzinski, Vladimir; Zhao, Liangji; Kim, Jin-Soo

2017-10-01

FullWave is being developed at FAR-TECH, Inc. to simulate RF waves in hot inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas without making small orbit approximations. FullWave is based on a meshless formulation in configuration space on non-uniform clouds of computational points (CCP) adapted to better resolve plasma resonances, antenna structures and complex boundaries. The linear frequency domain wave equation is formulated using two approaches: for cold plasmas the local cold plasma dielectric tensor is used (resolving resonances by particle collisions), while for hot plasmas the conductivity kernel is calculated. The details of FullWave and some preliminary results will be presented, including: 1) a monitor function based on analytic solutions of the cold-plasma dispersion relation; 2) an adaptive CCP based on the monitor function; 3) construction of the finite differences for approximation of derivatives on adaptive CCP; 4) results of 2-D full wave simulations in the cold plasma model in tokamak geometry using the formulated approach for ECRH, ICRH and Lower Hybrid range of frequencies. Work is supported by the U.S. DOE SBIR program.

Millimeter-Wave Generation Via Plasma Three-Wave Mixing

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-06-01

are coupled to a third space -charge wave with dispersion 2w W k -k k . (16) A plasma-loaded-waveguide mode is excited at the intersection of this...DISPERSION "FAST" W PLASMA WAVE Wc PLASMA WAVE A-lA oppositely directed EPWs with different phase velocities (wp/k., and wO/k. 2) are coupled to a third ... space -charge wave with dispersion 2w I- k k .(16) e 2 A plaama-loaded-waveguide mode is excited at the intersection of this coupled space-charge wave

Double-reconnected magnetic structures driven by Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices at the Earth's magnetosphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Borgogno, D.; Califano, F.; Pegoraro, F.

2015-03-15

In an almost collisionless magnetohydrodynamic plasma in a relatively strong magnetic field, stresses can be conveyed far from the region where they are exerted, e.g., through the propagation of Alfvèn waves. The forced dynamics of line-tied magnetic structures in solar and stellar coronae (see, e.g., A. F. Rappazzo and E. N. Parker, Astrophys. J. 773, L2 (2013) and references therein) is a paradigmatic case. Here, we investigate how this action at a distance develops from the equatorial region of the Kelvin-Helmholtz unstable flanks of the Earth's magnetosphere leading to the onset, at mid latitude in both hemispheres, of correlated doublemore » magnetic field line reconnection events that can allow the solar wind plasma to enter the Earth's magnetosphere.« less

Multi-fluid Approach to High-frequency Waves in Plasmas. III. Nonlinear Regime and Plasma Heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Gómez, David; Soler, Roberto; Terradas, Jaume

2018-03-01

The multi-fluid modeling of high-frequency waves in partially ionized plasmas has shown that the behavior of magnetohydrodynamic waves in the linear regime is heavily influenced by the collisional interaction between the different species that form the plasma. Here, we go beyond linear theory and study large-amplitude waves in partially ionized plasmas using a nonlinear multi-fluid code. It is known that in fully ionized plasmas, nonlinear Alfvén waves generate density and pressure perturbations. Those nonlinear effects are more pronounced for standing oscillations than for propagating waves. By means of numerical simulations and analytical approximations, we examine how the collisional interaction between ions and neutrals affects the nonlinear evolution. The friction due to collisions dissipates a fraction of the wave energy, which is transformed into heat and consequently raises the temperature of the plasma. As an application, we investigate frictional heating in a plasma with physical conditions akin to those in a quiescent solar prominence.

The temporal behaviour of MHD waves in a partially ionized prominence-like plasma: Effect of heating and cooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ballester, J. L.; Carbonell, M.; Soler, R.; Terradas, J.

2018-01-01

Context. During heating or cooling processes in prominences, the plasma microscopic parameters are modified due to the change of temperature and ionization degree. Furthermore, if waves are excited on this non-stationary plasma, the changing physical conditions of the plasma also affect wave dynamics. Aims: Our aim is to study how temporal variation of temperature and microscopic plasma parameters modify the behaviour of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves excited in a prominence-like hydrogen plasma. Methods: Assuming optically thin radiation, a constant external heating, the full expression of specific internal energy, and a suitable energy equation, we have derived the profiles for the temporal variation of the background temperature. We have computed the variation of the ionization degree using a Saha equation, and have linearized the single-fluid MHD equations to study the temporal behaviour of MHD waves. Results: For all the MHD waves considered, the period and damping time become time dependent. In the case of Alfvén waves, the cut-off wavenumbers also become time dependent and the attenuation rate is completely different in a cooling or heating process. In the case of slow waves, while it is difficult to distinguish the slow wave properties in a cooling partially ionized plasma from those in an almost fully ionized plasma, the period and damping time of these waves in both plasmas are completely different when the plasma is heated. The temporal behaviour of the Alfvén and fast wave is very similar in the cooling case, but in the heating case, an important difference appears that is related with the time damping. Conclusions: Our results point out important differences in the behaviour of MHD waves when the plasma is heated or cooled, and show that a correct interpretation of the observed prominence oscillations is very important in order to put accurate constraints on the physical situation of the prominence plasma under study, that is, to perform prominence seismology.

Degenerate mixing of plasma waves on cold, magnetized single-species plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, M. W.; O'Neil, T. M.; Dubin, D. H. E.; Gould, R. W.

2011-10-01

In the cold-fluid dispersion relation ω =ωp/[1+(k⊥/kz)2]1/2 for Trivelpiece-Gould waves on an infinitely long magnetized plasma cylinder, the transverse and axial wavenumbers appear only in the combination k⊥/kz. As a result, for any frequency ω <ωp, there are infinitely many degenerate waves, all having the same value of k⊥/kz. On a cold finite-length plasma column, these degenerate waves reflect into one another at the ends; thus, each standing-wave normal mode of the bounded plasma is a mixture of many degenerate waves, not a single standing wave as is often assumed. A striking feature of the many-wave modes is that the short-wavelength waves often add constructively along resonance cones given by dz /dr=±(ωp2/ω2-1)1/2. Also, the presence of short wavelengths in the admixture for a predominantly long-wavelength mode enhances the viscous damping beyond what the single-wave approximation would predict. Here, numerical solutions are obtained for modes of a cylindrical plasma column with rounded ends. Exploiting the fact that the modes of a spheroidal plasma are known analytically (the Dubin modes), a perturbation analysis is used to investigate the mixing of low-order, nearly degenerate Dubin modes caused by small deformations of a plasma spheroid.

Low-threshold parametric excitation of the upper hybrid wave in experiments on electron-cyclotron resonance heating by an ordinary wave

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sysoeva, E. V., E-mail: tinlit@yandex.ru; Gusakov, E. Z.; Simonchik, L. V.

2016-07-15

The possibility of the low-threshold decay of an ordinary wave into an upper hybrid wave localized in a plasma column (or in an axisymmetric plasma filament) and a low-frequency wave is analyzed. It is shown that the threshold for such a decay, accompanied by the excitation of an ion-acoustic wave, can easily be overcome for plasma parameters typical of model experiments on the Granit linear plasma facility.

Laser Driven Compression Equations of State and Hugoniot Pressure Measurements in Thick Solid Metallic Targets at ˜0.17-13 TW/cm2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remo, John L.

2010-10-01

An electro-optic laser probe was developed to obtain parameters for high energy density equations of state (EoS), Hugoniot pressures (PH), and strain rates for high energy density laser irradiation intensity, I, experiments at ˜170 GW/cm2 (λ = 1064 nm) to ˜13 TW/cm2 (λ = 527 nm) on Al, Cu, Ti, Fe, Ni metal targets in a vacuum. At I ˜7 TW/cm2 front surface plasma pressures and temperatures reached 100's GPa and over two million K. Rear surface PH ranged from 7-120 GPa at average shock wave transit velocities 4.2-8.5 km/s, depending on target thickness and I. A surface plasma compression ˜100's GPa generated an impulsive radial expanding shock wave causing compression, rarefactions, and surface elastic and plastic deformations depending on I. A laser/fiber optic system measured rear surface shock wave emergence and particle velocity with ˜3 GHz resolution by monitoring light deflection from diamond polished rear surfaces of malleable metallic targets, analogous to an atomic force microscope. Target thickness, ˜0.5-2.9 mm, prevented front surface laser irradiation penetration, due to low radiation skin depth, from altering rear surface reflectivity (refractive index). At ˜10 TW electromagnetic plasma pulse noise generated from the target chamber overwhelmed detector signals. Pulse frequency analysis using Moebius loop antennae probed transient noise characteristics. Average shock (compression) and particle (rear surface displacement) velocity measurements determined rear surface PH and GPa) EoS that are compared with gas guns.

THOR Turbulence Electron Analyser: TEA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazakerley, Andrew; Samara, Marilia; Hancock, Barry; Wicks, Robert; Moore, Tom; Rust, Duncan; Jones, Jonathan; Saito, Yoshifumi; Pollock, Craig; Owen, Chris; Rae, Jonny

2017-04-01

Turbulence Heating ObserveR (THOR) is the first mission ever flown in space dedicated to plasma turbulence. The Turbulence Electron Analyser (TEA) will measure the plasma electron populations in the mission's Regions of Interest. It will collect a 3D electron velocity distribution with cadences as short as 5 ms. The instrument will be capable of measuring energies up to 30 keV. TEA consists of multiple electrostatic analyser heads arranged so as to measure electrons arriving from look directions covering the full sky, i.e. 4 pi solid angle. The baseline concept is similar to the successful FPI-DES instrument currently operating on the MMS mission. TEA is intended to have a similar angular resolution, but a larger geometric factor. In comparison to earlier missions, TEA improves on the measurement cadence. For example, MMS FPI-DES routinely operates at 30 ms cadence. The objective of measuring distributions at rates as fast as 5 ms is driven by the mission's scientific requirements to resolve electron gyroscale size structures, where plasma heating and fluctuation dissipation is predicted to occur. TEA will therefore be capable of making measurements of the evolution of distribution functions across thin (a few km) current sheets travelling past the spacecraft at up to 600 km/s, of the Power Spectral Density of fluctuations of electron moments and of distributions fast enough to match frequencies with waves expected to be dissipating turbulence (e.g. with 100 Hz whistler waves). A novel capability to time tag individual electron events during short intervals for the purposes of ground analysis of wave-particle interactions is also planned.

Inverse mirror plasma experimental device (IMPED) - a magnetized linear plasma device for wave studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bose, Sayak; Chattopadhyay, P. K.; Ghosh, J.; Sengupta, S.; Saxena, Y. C.; Pal, R.

2015-04-01

In a quasineutral plasma, electrons undergo collective oscillations, known as plasma oscillations, when perturbed locally. The oscillations propagate due to finite temperature effects. However, the wave can lose the phase coherence between constituting oscillators in an inhomogeneous plasma (phase mixing) because of the dependence of plasma oscillation frequency on plasma density. The longitudinal electric field associated with the wave may be used to accelerate electrons to high energies by exciting large amplitude wave. However when the maximum amplitude of the wave is reached that plasma can sustain, the wave breaks. The phenomena of wave breaking and phase mixing have applications in plasma heating and particle acceleration. For detailed experimental investigation of these phenomena a new device, inverse mirror plasma experimental device (IMPED), has been designed and fabricated. The detailed considerations taken before designing the device, so that different aspects of these phenomena can be studied in a controlled manner, are described. Specifications of different components of the IMPED machine and their flexibility aspects in upgrading, if necessary, are discussed. Initial results meeting the prerequisite condition of the plasma for such study, such as a quiescent, collisionless and uniform plasma, are presented. The machine produces δnnoise/n <= 1%, Luniform ~ 120 cm at argon filling pressure of ~10-4 mbar and axial magnetic field of B = 1090 G.

System and method for generating steady state confining current for a toroidal plasma fusion reactor

DOEpatents

Fisch, Nathaniel J.

1981-01-01

A system for generating steady state confining current for a toroidal plasma fusion reactor providing steady-state generation of the thermonuclear power. A dense, hot toroidal plasma is initially prepared with a confining magnetic field with toroidal and poloidal components. Continuous wave RF energy is injected into said plasma to establish a spectrum of traveling waves in the plasma, where the traveling waves have momentum components substantially either all parallel, or all anti-parallel to the confining magnetic field. The injected RF energy is phased to couple to said traveling waves with both a phase velocity component and a wave momentum component in the direction of the plasma traveling wave components. The injected RF energy has a predetermined spectrum selected so that said traveling waves couple to plasma electrons having velocities in a predetermined range .DELTA.. The velocities in the range are substantially greater than the thermal electron velocity of the plasma. In addition, the range is sufficiently broad to produce a raised plateau having width .DELTA. in the plasma electron velocity distribution so that the plateau electrons provide steady-state current to generate a poloidal magnetic field component sufficient for confining the plasma. In steady state operation of the fusion reactor, the fusion power density in the plasma exceeds the power dissipated in the plasma.

System and method for generating steady state confining current for a toroidal plasma fusion reactor

DOEpatents

Bers, Abraham

1981-01-01

A system for generating steady state confining current for a toroidal plasma fusion reactor providing steady-state generation of the thermonuclear power. A dense, hot toroidal plasma is initially prepared with a confining magnetic field with toroidal and poloidal components. Continuous wave RF energy is injected into said plasma to estalish a spectrum of traveling waves in the plasma, where the traveling waves have momentum components substantially either all parallel, or all anti-parallel to the confining magnetic field. The injected RF energy is phased to couple to said traveling waves with both a phase velocity component and a wave momentum component in the direction of the plasma traveling wave components. The injected RF energy has a predetermined spectrum selected so that said traveling waves couple to plasma electrons having velocities in a predetermined range .DELTA.. The velocities in the range are substantially greater than the thermal electron velocity of the plasma. In addition, the range is sufficiently broad to produce a raised plateau having width .DELTA. in the plasma electron velocity distribution so that the plateau electrons provide steady-state current to generate a poloidal magnetic field component sufficient for confining the plasma. In steady state operation of the fusion reactor, the fusion power density in the plasma exceeds the power dissipated inthe plasma.

Ablation driven by hot electrons generated during the ignitor laser pulse in shock ignition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Piriz, A. R.; Rodriguez Prieto, G.; Tahir, N. A.

2012-12-15

An analytical model for the ablation driven by hot electrons is presented. The hot electrons are assumed to be generated during the high intensity laser spike used to produce the ignitor shock wave in the shock ignition driven inertial fusion concept, and to carry on the absorbed laser energy in its totality. Efficient energy coupling requires to keep the critical surface sufficiently close to the ablation front and this goal can be achieved for high laser intensities provided that the laser wavelength is short enough. Scaling laws for the ablation pressure and the other relevant magnitudes of the ablation cloudmore » are found in terms of the laser and target parameters. The effect of the preformed plasma assembled by the compression pulse, previous to the ignitor, is also discussed. It is found that a minimum ratio between the compression and the ignitor pulses would be necessary for the adequate matching of the corresponding scale lengths.« less

Ultra high-speed x-ray imaging of laser-driven shock compression using synchrotron light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olbinado, Margie P.; Cantelli, Valentina; Mathon, Olivier; Pascarelli, Sakura; Grenzer, Joerg; Pelka, Alexander; Roedel, Melanie; Prencipe, Irene; Laso Garcia, Alejandro; Helbig, Uwe; Kraus, Dominik; Schramm, Ulrich; Cowan, Tom; Scheel, Mario; Pradel, Pierre; De Resseguier, Thibaut; Rack, Alexander

2018-02-01

A high-power, nanosecond pulsed laser impacting the surface of a material can generate an ablation plasma that drives a shock wave into it; while in situ x-ray imaging can provide a time-resolved probe of the shock-induced material behaviour on macroscopic length scales. Here, we report on an investigation into laser-driven shock compression of a polyurethane foam and a graphite rod by means of single-pulse synchrotron x-ray phase-contrast imaging with MHz frame rate. A 6 J, 10 ns pulsed laser was used to generate shock compression. Physical processes governing the laser-induced dynamic response such as elastic compression, compaction, pore collapse, fracture, and fragmentation have been imaged; and the advantage of exploiting the partial spatial coherence of a synchrotron source for studying low-density, carbon-based materials is emphasized. The successful combination of a high-energy laser and ultra high-speed x-ray imaging using synchrotron light demonstrates the potentiality of accessing complementary information from scientific studies of laser-driven shock compression.

Creating space plasma from the ground

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlson, H. C.; Djuth, F. T.; Zhang, L. D.

2017-01-01

We have performed an experiment to compare as directly as realizable the ionization production rate by HF radio wave energy versus by solar EUV. We take advantage of the commonality that ionization production by both ground-based high-power HF radio waves and by solar EUV is driven by primary and secondary suprathermal electrons near and above 20 eV. Incoherent scatter radar (ISR) plasma-line amplitudes are used as a measure of suprathermal electron fluxes for ISR wavelengths near those for 430 MHz and are indeed a clean measure of such for those fluxes sufficiently weak to have negligible self-damping. We present data from an HF heating experiment on November 2015 at Arecibo, which even more directly confirm the only prior midlatitude estimate, of order 10% efficiency for conversion of HF energy to ionospheric ionization. We note the theoretical maximum possible is 1/3, while 1% or less reduces the question to near practical irrelevance. Our measurements explicitly confirm the prediction that radio-frequency production of artificial ionospheres can be practicable, even at midlatitudes. Furthermore, that this midlatitude efficiency is comparable to efficiencies measured at high latitudes (which include enhancements unique to high latitudes including magnetic zenith effect, gyrofrequency multiples, and double resonances) requires reexamination of current theoretical thinking about soft-electron acceleration processes in weakly magnetized plasmas. The implications are that electron acceleration by any of a variety of processes may be a fundamental underpinning to energy redistribution in space plasmas.

Engine Cycle Analysis of Air Breathing Microwave Rocket with Reed Valves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fukunari, Masafumi; Komatsu, Reiji; Yamaguchi, Toshikazu

The Microwave Rocket is a candidate for a low cost launcher system. Pulsed plasma generated by a high power millimeter wave beam drives a blast wave, and a vehicle acquires impulsive thrust by exhausting the blast wave. The thrust generation process of the Microwave Rocket is similar to a pulse detonation engine. In order to enhance the performance of its air refreshment, the air-breathing mechanism using reed valves is under development. Ambient air is taken to the thruster through reed valves. Reed valves are closed while the inside pressure is high enough. After the time when the shock wave exhaustsmore » at the open end, an expansion wave is driven and propagates to the thrust-wall. The reed valve is opened by the negative gauge pressure induced by the expansion wave and its reflection wave. In these processes, the pressure oscillation is important parameter. In this paper, the pressure oscillation in the thruster was calculated by CFD combined with the flux through from reed valves, which is estimated analytically. As a result, the air-breathing performance is evaluated using Partial Filling Rate (PFR), the ratio of thruster length to diameter L/D, and ratio of opening area of reed valves to superficial area {alpha}. An engine cycle and predicted thrust was explained.« less

Nonlinear, relativistic Langmuir waves in astrophysical magnetospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chian, Abraham C.-L.

1987-01-01

Large amplitude, electrostatic plasma waves are relevant to physical processes occurring in the astrophysical magnetospheres wherein charged particles are accelerated to relativistic energies by strong waves emitted by pulsars, quasars, or radio galaxies. The nonlinear, relativistic theory of traveling Langmuir waves in a cold plasma is reviewed. The cases of streaming electron plasma, electronic plasma, and two-streams are discussed.

ECH-assisted startup at KSTAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Y. S.; Jeong, J. H.; Park, S. I.; Cho, M. H.; Namkung, W.; Jackson, G. L.; Joung, M.; Yoon, S. W.; Kim, J. H.; Hahn, S. H.; Kim, W. C.; Yang, H. L.; Oh, Y. K.; Humphreys, D.; Walker, M. L.; Gorelov, Y.; Leuer, J. A.; Hyatt, A. W.; Eidietis, N. W.; Mueller, D.; Bak, J. S.; Kwon, M.

2009-11-01

The electron cyclotron heating (ECH)-assisted startup was successful in the Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) first plasma campaign completed in June, 2008. It was observed that the second harmonic EC wave of 0.35 MW was sufficient to achieve breakdown in the ECH pre-ionization phase, to allow burn through, and to sustain the plasma during the current ramp with a low loop voltage of 2.0 V. This corresponds to a toroidal electric field of 0.24 Vm-1 at the innermost vacuum vessel wall (R = 1.3 m). Since there is no feedback control of the plasma radial position in the initial phase of the KSTAR first plasma campaign, wall contact caused the plasma current fall to zero soon after the ECH beam was turned off. Extending pulse duration of the ECH power to 190 ms allowed the plasma current to rise up to more than 100 kA with a ramp-up rate of 0.8 MA/s and the pulse duration of 210 ms. Later in the first plasma campaign, the plasma was sustained up to 865 ms with the help of additional heating of 350-ms long ECH beam and with the help of the plasma radial position feedback control. The plasma current in the pre-ionization phase was observed and it is considered to be pressure-driven Pfirsch-Schlüter current.

Current drive for stability of thermonuclear plasma reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amicucci, L.; Cardinali, A.; Castaldo, C.; Cesario, R.; Galli, A.; Panaccione, L.; Paoletti, F.; Schettini, G.; Spigler, R.; Tuccillo, A.

2016-01-01

To produce in a thermonuclear fusion reactor based on the tokamak concept a sufficiently high fusion gain together stability necessary for operations represent a major challenge, which depends on the capability of driving non-inductive current in the hydrogen plasma. This request should be satisfied by radio-frequency (RF) power suitable for producing the lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) effect, recently demonstrated successfully occurring also at reactor-graded high plasma densities. An LHCD-based tool should be in principle capable of tailoring the plasma current density in the outer radial half of plasma column, where other methods are much less effective, in order to ensure operations in the presence of unpredictably changes of the plasma pressure profiles. In the presence of too high electron temperatures even at the periphery of the plasma column, as envisaged in DEMO reactor, the penetration of the coupled RF power into the plasma core was believed for long time problematic and, only recently, numerical modelling results based on standard plasma wave theory, have shown that this problem should be solved by using suitable parameter of the antenna power spectrum. We show here further information on the new understanding of the RF power deposition profile dependence on antenna parameters, which supports the conclusion that current can be actively driven over a broad layer of the outer radial half of plasma column, thus enabling current profile control necessary for the stability of a reactor.

Ion-driven instabilities in the solar wind: Wind observations of 19 March 2005

DOE PAGES

Gary, S. Peter; Jian, Lan K.; Broiles, Thomas W.; ...

2016-01-16

Intervals of enhanced magnetic fluctuations have been frequently observed in the solar wind. However, it remains an open question as to whether these waves are generated at the Sun and then transported outward by the solar wind or generated locally in the interplanetary medium. Magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Wind spacecraft under slow solar wind conditions on 19 March 2005 demonstrate seven events of enhanced magnetic fluctuations at spacecraft-frame frequencies somewhat above the proton cyclotron frequency and propagation approximately parallel or antiparallel to the background magnetic field B o. The proton velocity distributions during these events are characterizedmore » by two components: a more dense, slower core and a less dense, faster beam. In conclusion, observed plasma parameters are used in a kinetic linear dispersion equation analysis for electromagnetic fluctuations at k x B o = 0; for two events the most unstable mode is the Alfvén-cyclotron instability driven by a proton component temperature anisotropy T ⊥/T || > 1 (where the subscripts denote directions relative to B o), and for three events the most unstable mode is the right-hand polarized magnetosonic instability driven primarily by ion component relative flows. Thus, both types of ion anisotropies and both types of instabilities are likely to be local sources of these enhanced fluctuation events in the solar wind.« less

Ion-driven instabilities in the solar wind: Wind observations of 19 March 2005

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gary, S. Peter; Jian, Lan K.; Broiles, Thomas W.

Intervals of enhanced magnetic fluctuations have been frequently observed in the solar wind. However, it remains an open question as to whether these waves are generated at the Sun and then transported outward by the solar wind or generated locally in the interplanetary medium. Magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Wind spacecraft under slow solar wind conditions on 19 March 2005 demonstrate seven events of enhanced magnetic fluctuations at spacecraft-frame frequencies somewhat above the proton cyclotron frequency and propagation approximately parallel or antiparallel to the background magnetic field B o. The proton velocity distributions during these events are characterizedmore » by two components: a more dense, slower core and a less dense, faster beam. In conclusion, observed plasma parameters are used in a kinetic linear dispersion equation analysis for electromagnetic fluctuations at k x B o = 0; for two events the most unstable mode is the Alfvén-cyclotron instability driven by a proton component temperature anisotropy T ⊥/T || > 1 (where the subscripts denote directions relative to B o), and for three events the most unstable mode is the right-hand polarized magnetosonic instability driven primarily by ion component relative flows. Thus, both types of ion anisotropies and both types of instabilities are likely to be local sources of these enhanced fluctuation events in the solar wind.« less

Ion-driven instabilities in the solar wind: Wind observations of 19 March 2005.

PubMed

Gary, S Peter; Jian, Lan K; Broiles, Thomas W; Stevens, Michael L; Podesta, John J; Kasper, Justin C

2016-01-01

Intervals of enhanced magnetic fluctuations have been frequently observed in the solar wind. But it remains an open question as to whether these waves are generated at the Sun and then transported outward by the solar wind or generated locally in the interplanetary medium. Magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Wind spacecraft under slow solar wind conditions on 19 March 2005 demonstrate seven events of enhanced magnetic fluctuations at spacecraft-frame frequencies somewhat above the proton cyclotron frequency and propagation approximately parallel or antiparallel to the background magnetic field B o . The proton velocity distributions during these events are characterized by two components: a more dense, slower core and a less dense, faster beam. Observed plasma parameters are used in a kinetic linear dispersion equation analysis for electromagnetic fluctuations at k x B o  = 0; for two events the most unstable mode is the Alfvén-cyclotron instability driven by a proton component temperature anisotropy T ⊥ /T ||  > 1 (where the subscripts denote directions relative to B o ), and for three events the most unstable mode is the right-hand polarized magnetosonic instability driven primarily by ion component relative flows. Thus, both types of ion anisotropies and both types of instabilities are likely to be local sources of these enhanced fluctuation events in the solar wind.

Ion‐driven instabilities in the solar wind: Wind observations of 19 March 2005

PubMed Central

Jian, Lan K.; Broiles, Thomas W.; Stevens, Michael L.; Podesta, John J.; Kasper, Justin C.

2016-01-01

Abstract Intervals of enhanced magnetic fluctuations have been frequently observed in the solar wind. But it remains an open question as to whether these waves are generated at the Sun and then transported outward by the solar wind or generated locally in the interplanetary medium. Magnetic field and plasma measurements from the Wind spacecraft under slow solar wind conditions on 19 March 2005 demonstrate seven events of enhanced magnetic fluctuations at spacecraft‐frame frequencies somewhat above the proton cyclotron frequency and propagation approximately parallel or antiparallel to the background magnetic field B o. The proton velocity distributions during these events are characterized by two components: a more dense, slower core and a less dense, faster beam. Observed plasma parameters are used in a kinetic linear dispersion equation analysis for electromagnetic fluctuations at k x B o = 0; for two events the most unstable mode is the Alfvén‐cyclotron instability driven by a proton component temperature anisotropy T⊥/T|| > 1 (where the subscripts denote directions relative to B o), and for three events the most unstable mode is the right‐hand polarized magnetosonic instability driven primarily by ion component relative flows. Thus, both types of ion anisotropies and both types of instabilities are likely to be local sources of these enhanced fluctuation events in the solar wind. PMID:27818854

Nonlinear Electromagnetic Waves and Spherical Arc-Polarized Waves in Space Plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsurutani, B.; Ho, Christian M.; Arballo, John K.; Lakhina, Gurbax S.; Glassmeier, Karl-Heinz; Neubauer, Fritz M.

1997-01-01

We review observations of nonlinear plasma waves detected by interplanetary spacecraft. For this paper we will focus primarily on the phase-steepened properties of such waves. Plasma waves at comet Giacobini-Zinner measured by the International Cometary Explorer (ICE), at comets Halley and Grigg-Skjellerup measured by Giotto, and interplanetary Alfven waves measured by Ulysses, will be discussed and intercompared.

A maximally informative version of inelastic scattering of electromagnetic waves by Langmuir waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erofeev, V. I.

2015-09-01

The concept of informativeness of nonlinear plasma physics scenarios is explained. Natural ideas of developing highly informative models of plasma kinetics are spelled out. A maximally informative version of inelastic scattering of electromagnetic waves by Langmuir waves in a weakly turbulent inhomogeneous plasma is developed with consideration of possible changes in wave polarization. In addition, a new formula for wave drift in spatial positions and wave vectors is derived. New scenarios of the respective wave drift and inelastic scattering are compared with the previous visions. The results indicate the need for further revision of the traditional understanding of nonlinear plasma phenomena.

Introduction to Plasma Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurnett, Donald A.; Bhattacharjee, Amitava

2017-03-01

Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Characteristic parameters of a plasma; 3. Single particle motions; 4. Waves in a cold plasma; 5. Kinetic theory and the moment equations; 6. Magnetohydrodynamics; 7. MHD equilibria and stability; 8. Discontinuities and shock waves; 9. Electrostatic waves in a hot unmagnetized plasma; 10. Waves in a hot magnetized plasma; 11. Nonlinear effects; 12. Collisional processes; Appendix A. Symbols; Appendix B. Useful trigonometric identities; Appendix C. Vector differential operators; Appendix D. Vector calculus identities; Index.

Ionospheric Irregularities at Mars Probed by MARSIS Topside Sounding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harada, Y.; Gurnett, D. A.; Kopf, A. J.; Halekas, J. S.; Ruhunusiri, S.

2018-01-01

The upper ionosphere of Mars contains a variety of perturbations driven by solar wind forcing from above and upward propagating atmospheric waves from below. Here we explore the global distribution and variability of ionospheric irregularities around the exobase at Mars by analyzing topside sounding data from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on board Mars Express. As irregular structure gives rise to off-vertical echoes with excess propagation time, the diffuseness of ionospheric echo traces can be used as a diagnostic tool for perturbed reflection surfaces. The observed properties of diffuse echoes above unmagnetized regions suggest that ionospheric irregularities with horizontal wavelengths of tens to hundreds of kilometers are particularly enhanced in the winter hemisphere and at high solar zenith angles. Given the known inverse dependence of neutral gravity wave amplitudes on the background atmospheric temperature, the ionospheric irregularities probed by MARSIS are most likely associated with plasma perturbations driven by atmospheric gravity waves. Though extreme events with unusually diffuse echoes are more frequently observed for high solar wind dynamic pressures during some time intervals, the vast majority of the diffuse echo events are unaffected by varying solar wind conditions, implying limited influence of solar wind forcing on the generation of ionospheric irregularities. Combination of remote and in situ measurements of ionospheric irregularities would offer the opportunity for a better understanding of the ionospheric dynamics at Mars.

Studies on the transmission of sub-THz waves in magnetized inhomogeneous plasma sheath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Kai; Shen, Linfang; Yao, Ming; Deng, Xiaohua; Chen, Zhou; Hong, Lujun

2018-01-01

There have been many studies on the sub-terahertz (sub-THz) wave transmission in reentry plasma sheaths. However, only some of them have paid attention to the transmission of sub-THz waves in magnetized plasma sheaths. In this paper, the transmission of sub-THz waves in both unmagnetized and magnetized reentry plasma sheaths was investigated. The impacts of temporal evolution of the plasma sheath on the wave transmission were studied. The transmission of "atmospheric window" frequencies in a magnetized plasma sheath was discussed in detail. According to the study, the power transmission rates (Tp) for the left hand circular (LHC) and the right hand circular modes in the magnetized plasma sheath are obviously higher and lower than those in the unmagnetized plasma sheath, respectively. The Tp of LHC mode increases with both wave frequency and external magnetic field strength. Also, the Tp of LHC mode in both magnetized and unmagnetized plasma sheaths varies with time due to the temporal evolution of the plasma sheath. Moreover, the performance of sub-THz waves in magnetized plasma sheath hints at a new approach to the "blackout" problem. The new approach, which is in the capability of modern technology, is to utilize the communication system operating at 140 GHz with an onboard magnet installed near the antenna.

Explaining the dynamics of the ultra-relativistic third Van Allen radiation belt

DOE PAGES

Mann, I. R.; Ozeke, L. G.; Murphy, K. R.; ...

2016-06-20

Since the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts over 50 years ago, an explanation for their complete dynamics has remained elusive. Especially challenging is understanding the recently discovered ultra-relativistic third electron radiation belt. Current theory asserts that loss in the heart of the outer belt, essential to the formation of the third belt, must be controlled by high-frequency plasma wave–particle scattering into the atmosphere, via whistler mode chorus, plasmaspheric hiss, or electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. However, this has failed to accurately reproduce the third belt. In this paper, using a data-driven, time-dependent specification of ultra-low-frequency (ULF) waves we showmore » for the first time how the third radiation belt is established as a simple, elegant consequence of storm-time extremely fast outward ULF wave transport. High-frequency wave–particle scattering loss into the atmosphere is not needed in this case. Finally, when rapid ULF wave transport coupled to a dynamic boundary is accurately specified, the sensitive dynamics controlling the enigmatic ultra-relativistic third radiation belt are naturally explained.« less

Explaining the dynamics of the ultra-relativistic third Van Allen radiation belt

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mann, I. R.; Ozeke, L. G.; Murphy, K. R.

Since the discovery of the Van Allen radiation belts over 50 years ago, an explanation for their complete dynamics has remained elusive. Especially challenging is understanding the recently discovered ultra-relativistic third electron radiation belt. Current theory asserts that loss in the heart of the outer belt, essential to the formation of the third belt, must be controlled by high-frequency plasma wave–particle scattering into the atmosphere, via whistler mode chorus, plasmaspheric hiss, or electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. However, this has failed to accurately reproduce the third belt. In this paper, using a data-driven, time-dependent specification of ultra-low-frequency (ULF) waves we showmore » for the first time how the third radiation belt is established as a simple, elegant consequence of storm-time extremely fast outward ULF wave transport. High-frequency wave–particle scattering loss into the atmosphere is not needed in this case. Finally, when rapid ULF wave transport coupled to a dynamic boundary is accurately specified, the sensitive dynamics controlling the enigmatic ultra-relativistic third radiation belt are naturally explained.« less

Structure of kinetic Alfvén waves with small transverse scale length

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, G. J.; Maggs, J. E.

1997-11-01

This analytical study illustrates the spatial pattern of kinetic Alfvén waves excited by a current-modulating disk whose dimension a, transverse to the confining magnetic field, is comparable to the ion sound gyroradius cs/Ωi, where cs is the sound speed and Ωi the ion cyclotron frequency. The radial structure of the wave azimuthal magnetic field is found to consist of four regions: a Bessel function behavior for r